The American people may not be the best-educated, but they're very wise at heart.
Norman Lear

The trafficking of sex and violence is comes after the demand for ratings.
Norman Lear

There was no real controversy with All In The Family. That came from the people on the business end.
Norman Lear

TV that people will never see, that giant international corporations will never touch, will never pay your salary.
Norman Lear

We are a country of excess. So it's not the violence, per se, but the exacerbation and constant repetition.
Norman Lear

We did an episode on Good Times which came out of a newspaper article about the incidence of hypertension in black males being higher than whites, and increasing. So we did a show in which James, the father on Good Times, had hypertension.
Norman Lear

We got ratings. It isn't that they won't quarrel with you, or say you're always right. But as long as you stay strong and the ratings are good and you're reasonable - I don't think we fought unreasonably. We basically won that right.
Norman Lear

When we went on the air, I didn't want to be interrupted for an act-one curtain.
Norman Lear

You're in the business - when you're a writer, producer, director - to get ratings.
Norman Lear