I know how to make it a great musical. I’ve got to. It’s like I’ve got to see it on stage. – Mel Brooks
As far as songwriters, I’ve always been a fan of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin; those guys mean a lot to me. – Mel Brooks
I’m still a horse that can run. I may not be able to win the Derby, but what do you do when you retire? People retire and they vegetate. They go away and they dry up. – Mel Brooks
These men both publicly and privately have done so much for me. Without Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick I would be living in a little motel just around the corner here, trying to make ends meet. – Mel Brooks
When you come to Germany as a Jew you have an uneasy feeling, but I’ve always felt okay in Berlin. – Mel Brooks
A brushstroke of vanity is good to add into the mix, to balance your timidity. We’re all blessed with a lot of timidity and a lot of worry and anxiety, and vanity is a good antidote. – Mel Brooks
As long as the world is turning and spinning, we’re gonna be dizzy and we’re gonna make mistakes. – Mel Brooks
I’m rather secular. I’m basically Jewish. But I think I’m Jewish not because of the Jewish religion at all. – Mel Brooks
Oh, I’m not a true genius. I’m a near genius. I would say I’m a short genius. I’d rather be tall and normal than a short genius. – Mel Brooks
I’ll accept bad taste in a minute, as long as there’s some great comedy minds and performances. – Mel Brooks
Everything starts with writing. And then to support your vision, your ideas, your philosophy, your jokes, whatever, you’ve gotta perform them and/or direct them, or sometimes just produce them. – Mel Brooks
Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him. – Mel Brooks
You’re always a little disappointing in person because you can’t be the edited essence of yourself. – Mel Brooks
Well, just being stupid and politically incorrect doesn’t work. You can be politically incorrect if you’re smart. – Mel Brooks