When you get to a point where you're successful enough that you can say, 'I don't have to take any job anymore,' and you're still good at what you do, how do you decide what work to take on? I think the answer is that you pursue what you enjoy. In my case, it's variety.

Martin Short

People do think I'm Jewish. But we're Irish Catholic. My father had a brogue.

The mark of the man is how he responds to situations. You're not going to avoid tough times. We're all over the barrel some of the time. What are you going to do about it?

Martin Short

Time You Void

I think I'm funny because my family, my siblings were funny.

Martin Short

Funny Family Were

My natural state is to be happy. I'm naturally buoyant. I wake up feeling, 'What a great morning!' I've had some tragedy in my life, absolutely, but I don't know one human being who hasn't. You either learn from it and become empowered by it, or you become a victim to it. It's life, after all.

Martin Short

Power Morning Life

All you're trying to do in an improvisation is get as much material as possible for the editing room.

Martin Short

You Yin Visa

David Lynch and I almost made a movie together in the late '80s. We had lots of dinners and lunches. He's a very cool, hip guy. This film, let's face it, is like an homage to him, I would imagine he'd find it funny.

Martin Short

Funny Cool Age

Everything alters and changes with time. Some things that are considered triumphs, and 10 years later, they're considered minor.

Martin Short

Time Change Years

No one is any one thing.

Martin Short

Thing Thin T

I pretend I'm one of the royal family when I'm in a hotel and that the hotel belongs to me - it is a palace.

Martin Short

Family Ya Tend

'Nice' is not a common label for comedians, but it is for Canadians. I like it.

Martin Short

T Nice Nic

I've done lots of improv things but not a whole movie.

Martin Short

Whole Who Things

All these things that enter your head are assignments. You write them up and then throw them out there and if someone wants to do it, your assignment is done.

Martin Short

Men Your You

Anytime there's originality and comedy combined, it's very potent for people who love comedy.

Martin Short

Time Love Who

No one doesn't have loss. No one doesn't have pain.

Martin Short

T Pain Pa

Some people you work on a film with, and then they disappear.

Martin Short

Work You Wit

I have a kind of objective luxury about my career.

Martin Short

Car T Out

My mother was the concert master of the symphony. Absurdity and eccentricity were not criticized.

Martin Short

Were T Symphony

I've never done an improvised movie as a fictitious character. I think that's the challenge.

Martin Short

Us Think Thin

Often audiences vary... but I've always found Milwaukee to be a fabulous place to play with great audiences and very hip.

Martin Short

Great Wit Ways

I hate to lull the audience into letting them think that something is something. It's always fun to defy expectations.

Martin Short

Ways Way UN

I have sometimes imagined my own death and brought myself to tears.

Martin Short

I know if I were to drop dead now, people would probably write nice things in the obit.

Martin Short

I was a huge fan of Steve Martin, as everyone I knew in comedy was.

Martin Short

When kids like Steven Spielberg were eight and nine and 10, they had little cameras, and that's all they wanted to do. When I was 10, I was in my attic pretending to host my own variety show. Spielberg wasn't. That's why he's a film director, and I'm doing what I'm doing.

Martin Short

I've always thought one of the tricks of being an actor for a long time is keeping yourself interested once you've figured out how to pay the rent.

Martin Short

Any time you're honoured by your home, it's a bigger deal than most.

Martin Short

Comedy is so subjective. If you trip and fall down, some people will laugh, and some people will say, 'Oh, physical comedy is so pedestrian.' Some people look at Three Stooges as lowbrow; some people consider them artists. No one is wrong. It's just a personal take.

Martin Short

I think loss can fuel how you lead your whole life.

Martin Short

What I learned, a little too late, was that the 'traditional' Martin Short target viewer weighs under 300 pounds. Unfortunately, I was on during daytime.

Martin Short

What's great about being a character actor is you know that you can survive forever. It's not about the gloss of your eyebrows.

Martin Short

One of my great influences was Don Knotts as Barney Fife.

Martin Short

You try to figure out things to keep yourself interested. It's very easy to get lulled.

Martin Short

You go through publicists because it's easy for a publicist to say to another publicist, 'No'.

Martin Short

Sometimes people get passionate about the obscure jokes.

Martin Short

Someone once asked me what was the weirdest question I was ever asked. And I was stymied.

Martin Short

I've chosen to treat my life more like a party than something to stress about.

Martin Short

Being the youngest of five, you're adored, you're fueled with confidence.

Martin Short

Why does 'I Love Lucy' still make people laugh? Because she's a specific character who has real reactions.

Martin Short

I think that even though the characters were heightened, the 'SCTV' cast were all such strong actors they found a certain truth in playing them. I think that's why the show stays fresh and timeless.

Martin Short

I think Canadians are great satirists because we sit in the middle of these two giants: Great Britain and the U.S.

Martin Short

My job is not to analyze my career. But I am proud of the amount of work I've done and the amount of commitment I've given to it. That makes me proud.

Martin Short

There's a lot of insecure, sad people in any profession.

Martin Short

When you get to a point where you're successful enough that you can say, 'I don't have to take any job anymore,' and you're still good at what you do, how do you decide what work to take on? I think the answer is that you pursue what you enjoy. In my case, it's variety.

Martin Short

You can do 12 great takes, but if the director is no good, he'll end up picking the wrong one.

Martin Short

Trump is Trump. Some people find him hilarious. I don't find it hilarious, but you can't say it's dull. There's nothing credible about Donald Trump.

Martin Short

Eugene Levy is my closest friend.

Martin Short

I remember, as a kid, nothing struck me funnier than seeing Richard Nixon look into the camera and sincerely tell everyone he didn't know where the 18 minutes had gone from his tapes. But there was all this sweat on his upper lip. We knew he was lying. He knew we knew he was lying. But he was determined to tell the lie.

Martin Short

I'm just drawn to the odd guy, the man who is full of it, the guy who has limited talent but is pretending he's a genius.

Martin Short

Comedy is a weird thing.

Martin Short