It's such an act of optimism to get through a day and enjoy it and laugh and do all that without thinking about death. What spirit human beings have!

"It is so hard for us little human beings to accept this deal that we get. It's really crazy, isn't it? We act to live, then we have to die. What we put into every moment is all we have . . ."

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.

"The goal is to live a full, productive life even with all that ambiguity. No matter what hap- pens, whether the cancer never flares up again or whether you die, the important thing is that the days that you have had you will have lived."

Comedy is very controlling -- you are making people laugh. It is there in the phrase 'making people laugh.' You feel completely in control when you hear a wave of laughter coming back at you that you have caused.