Seth Macfarlane Quotes

Powerful Seth Macfarlane for Daily Growth

About Seth Macfarlane

Seth MacFarlane (born June 26, 1973) is an American animator, actor, singer-songwriter, comedian, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular animated sitcoms "Family Guy," "American Dad!," and "The Cleveland Show." Born in Kent, Connecticut, MacFarlane developed a passion for animation at an early age. He was homeschooled and spent hours creating his own animations. After high school, he attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he focused on animated films. During his time at RISD, he created "Larry & Steve," a short film that eventually led to the creation of "Family Guy." "Family Guy," which premiered in 1999, gained immediate attention for its irreverent humor and satirical take on American culture. The show was initially canceled but was revived in 2005 due to strong DVD sales and high ratings on Adult Swim. The series has since become a cultural phenomenon, spawning numerous spin-offs, movies, and merchandise. MacFarlane's other animated series, "American Dad!," premiered in 2005, and "The Cleveland Show" debuted in 2009. He has also voiced multiple characters across these shows, including Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, and Glenn Quagmire from "Family Guy." In addition to his work in animation, MacFarlane is a successful actor and musician. He has appeared in films such as "Ted" (2012) and "A Million Ways to Die in the West" (2014), and he released two albums, "Music Is Better Than Words" (2011) and "In Full Swing" (2017). MacFarlane's work is often marked by its humor, satire, and pop culture references. He continues to push boundaries in television and film, proving himself as a versatile talent in the entertainment industry.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Every moment wasted watching television is a missed opportunity to learn a new language."

This quote by Seth MacFarlane emphasizes that instead of passively consuming media, such as television, we could actively engage in learning something valuable like a new language. The implication is that investing time in expanding our knowledge and skills beyond entertainment can lead to personal growth, opening up opportunities for cultural understanding and communication with others.

"I just believe that life is a journey and we should try to enjoy it as much as possible."

This quote encourages embracing the journey of life with joy and positivity, implying that life's inherent purpose is to experience pleasure and happiness while navigating its challenges and obstacles. It suggests living in a way that maximizes personal enjoyment and satisfaction.

"Somewhere in the cosmos, there is a tribe of beings who have spent millennia perfecting a device whose sole function is to beam up anyone who has ever uttered the words 'I've got a great idea!'"

This quote by Seth Macfarlane humorously suggests that somewhere in the universe, there exists an advanced civilization that has developed technology capable of transporting individuals who claim to have a brilliant idea, possibly implying that these ideas are often unrealistic or lack practicality. It could be interpreted as a commentary on human nature and our tendency to overestimate our own inventiveness and creativity.

"I think the more you realize that life is largely an accident, the less you become attached to it."

This quote suggests a perspective where life is viewed as unpredictable and largely beyond our control (an "accident"). By acknowledging this, we may develop a detachment from our lives, understanding that many aspects are not determined by us, yet continue to live without excessive attachment or fear of loss. This viewpoint can foster adaptability, resilience, and an appreciation for the present moment rather than clinging to preconceived notions about what life should be.

"Humanity is doomed to repeat the past until we can learn from it."

This quote by Seth MacFarlane suggests that human history is marked by a pattern of repetition, where similar mistakes, conflicts, or behaviors are repeated across different time periods. He implies that this recurring cycle is due to our inability to learn from past experiences. The quote serves as a reminder that understanding and applying lessons from the past can help us avoid repeating the same mistakes, thereby improving our future outcomes. Essentially, MacFarlane encourages reflection and learning to break free from this pattern of repetition.

What makes me happy is just keeping my brain challenged and stimulated and on its toes.

- Seth MacFarlane

Happy, Challenged, Keeping, Stimulated

If something sticks around long enough that it makes it to seasonal D.V.D. release, I'll watch it. That's how I watched 'The Sopranos'.

- Seth MacFarlane

Release, Makes, The Sopranos, Sopranos

At one point, I was hell-bent on being a Disney animator, and sort of got over that in college and wanted to do my own stuff. You know, towards the end of college I had actually planned to go to the Boston Conservatory of Music for musical theater.

- Seth MacFarlane

College, Boston, Own, Conservatory

People do that on Facebook and it's the dumbest thing in the world. I don't care what your dinner looks like. Stop cluttering up the Internet with pictures of your dinner.

- Seth MacFarlane

Facebook, Like, Your, Dumbest

Denzel Washington has a great sense of humor. He did all those 'Nutty Professor' movies.

- Seth MacFarlane

Great, Sense, Great Sense, Nutty

You don't want to be nasty for the sake of being nasty.

- Seth MacFarlane

Want, Being, Sake, Nasty

I spent my entire childhood in the same town, in Kent. I went to grade school there. There was a boarding school that my mother taught at, called - appropriately enough - Kent School, that I went to. Yeah, pretty much my entire childhood was spent in that town.

- Seth MacFarlane

Childhood, Pretty, Town, Boarding School

I love the English. My God, they brought us 'Benny Hill,' 'Monty Python,' 'The Office,' Neville Chamberlain.

- Seth MacFarlane

Love, Benny, Python, Monty Python

If a song is funny and absurd, and it sounds great, it's just going to be that much funnier. And there's no better example of that than 'Monty Python.'

- Seth MacFarlane

Song, Funnier, Python, Monty Python

I wrote on a show called Johnny Bravo when I was at Hanna-Barbera.

- Seth MacFarlane

Show, Bravo, Wrote, Johnny

Every year, the Friday before the new Saturday-morning shows would premiere, the networks would do this big preview special, and I was always glued to the TV. As horrible as they were, they were entertaining at the time. There was a lot of showmanship from the networks based around the new lineup.

- Seth MacFarlane

Big, TV, Preview, Showmanship

The way Disney characters move, they're very kind of slow and fluid and flowing; one pose kind of eases into the next. If you look at a show like 'The Simpsons' and subsequently a show like 'Family Guy' - the characters will jerk from pose to pose a lot, a bit more snappy. Which sort of goes along with the writing tone of the show.

- Seth MacFarlane

Next, Tone, Very, Simpsons

I think at times I read too much of my own press. I wish I was better at taking in how great my life is, but that's surprisingly elusive. I tend to be very hard on myself and insecure about failing no matter what happens.

- Seth MacFarlane

My Life, I Think, Very, Surprisingly

Obviously I'm a big fan of 'South Park', but it gets tiring at times when there's so much of it.

- Seth MacFarlane

Big, South, Obviously, South Park

Evolution doesn't care whether you believe in it or not, no more than gravity does. I want to rekindle excitement over what we've achieved as a species with the space program. We can't afford to regress back to the days of superstition.

- Seth MacFarlane

Believe, Back, Program, Space Program

The quest for Tommy Lee Jones' laugh begins now.

- Seth MacFarlane

Now, Quest, Begins, Tommy

I'm from Connecticut, and we don't have any dialects. Well, I don't think we have any dialects, and yeah, it's very complex. That Rhode Island/Massachusetts New England region is arguably the hardest dialect to nail.

- Seth MacFarlane

Think, New, Very, Connecticut

I always thought it would be funny to have the Parents Television Council write an episode of 'Family Guy' and give them full creative control. Then see how good the episode is. That's something we've actually discussed in the writers' room. We haven't proposed it yet, but if somebody from the PTC reads this, it might be worth discussing.

- Seth MacFarlane

Thought, Guy, Episode, Proposed

I cannot tell good art from bad art. I have no eye for it.

- Seth MacFarlane

Art, Eye, Bad, Good Art

I'll tell you what I think is not okay. Have you ever seen that show on MSNBC, 'Lockup?' It's a reality show that takes place inside a prison. Do the prisoners have to sign release forms? Or do they have to be on it whether they like it or not?

- Seth MacFarlane

Tell, Release, I Think, Reality Show

I was a huge 'Star Trek' fan. I loved the 'Twilight Zone' growing up. In the future, I hope to create some thoughtful, sci-fi drama.

- Seth MacFarlane

Thoughtful, Star, Some, Huge Star

I'm sure there are close calls that we're not even aware of hundreds of times a year. You cross the street, and if you'd crossed the street two minutes later, you'd have been hit by a car, but you'd never know it. I'm sure that kind of stuff happens all the time.

- Seth MacFarlane

Year, Two, Been, Crossed

If something is shocking without being funny it's hard to justify.

- Seth MacFarlane

Being Funny, Being, Justify, Shocking

We never really tried to shock for shock's sake on 'Family Guy'. If something was horribly offensive and shocking, we would put it in if it was also hysterically funny.

- Seth MacFarlane

Shock, Offensive, Horribly, Shocking

The success of 'The Simpsons' really opened doors. It showed that if you were working in animation you didn't necessarily have to be working in kids' television.

- Seth MacFarlane

Television, Opened, Really, Animation

I was a film major with a concentration in animation.

- Seth MacFarlane

Concentration, Film, Major, Animation

There was no joke I could make that was too offensive. I can actually remember at least one time where my mother told me something that, I was like, 'whoa!'

- Seth MacFarlane

Like, Offensive, Could, Whoa

When you are in a room and your job is to write jokes 10 hours a day, your mind starts going to strange places.

- Seth MacFarlane

Mind, Hours, Going, Jokes

Some of those more out-there jokes were written in the wee hours of the morning. Somehow, they remained funny the next day.

- Seth MacFarlane

Next, Some, Hours, Jokes

Everybody in my family had a real sick, twisted sense of humor. Most of the jokes we make in our house, we would just never even dream of making anywhere else. Just sick, horrible stuff. That wasn't anything new to college.

- Seth MacFarlane

College, Everybody, Had, Jokes

There are people on staff who have made that point, that the upside to a second Bush term is that it makes 'American Dad' work better. To me, the price is too high. I would gladly give up the comedy to have a President Kerry. But you work with what you have.

- Seth MacFarlane

American, Bush, Dad, Gladly

I had - I was pretty hell bent on getting into the cartoon business specifically as an artist from the get-go.

- Seth MacFarlane

Business, Pretty, Cartoon, Specifically

'Family Guy' has this weird thing of attracting people. People either hate it or can't get enough of it. There's really no one in between.

- Seth MacFarlane

Enough, Guy, Weird Thing, Family Guy

When 'Family Guy' started, we wanted to make it more like a sitcom. And there was very little music.

- Seth MacFarlane

More, Like, Very, Family Guy

The problem with the cable networks is the lack of money, not from personal income but as far as show budget.

- Seth MacFarlane

Personal, Income, Show, Budget

The average person has eight different jobs over the course of their lifetime. You get a little antsy doing the same thing.

- Seth MacFarlane

Doing, Average, Over, Average Person

The Simpsons are ugly-looking, and they should be. That's what works. That's one of the things that's funny.

- Seth MacFarlane

Works, One Of The Things, Simpsons

Science has become politicized, and that's an embarrassment.

- Seth MacFarlane

Science, Become, Embarrassment

I was a big Fred Flintstone fan.

- Seth MacFarlane

Big, Fan, Fred

There are things about the single lifestyle that are very appealing.

- Seth MacFarlane

Single, Very, Things, Lifestyle

Chris Elliott could read the phonebook and he's funny.

- Seth MacFarlane

Could, He, Read, Chris

I'm wide open to getting married, but actors are not easy people to date. You end up sharing that person with this other mistress that is their career. I very much like the traditional courtship method of making a date. That's what they do in normal places, but Hollywood's not normal.

- Seth MacFarlane

Date, Other, Very, Sharing

Fox is notorious for having a very thick skin about taking shots at themselves.

- Seth MacFarlane

Thick Skin, Very, Having, Thick

On a certain day, I will tweet five times, and then I'll go four days without tweeting at all. It really depends on what time allows. Twitter, priority-wise, has to come after the work is done.

- Seth MacFarlane

Without, Twitter, Times, Tweeting

I was about two years old when I first started drawing recognizable characters.

- Seth MacFarlane

Old, About, Characters, Recognizable

The worst thing to happen at the Oscars would be if nothing happened. You want something unscripted, something to riff on, something kinda out there.

- Seth MacFarlane

Happen, Worst Thing, Riff, Oscars

I can't believe I am hosting the Oscars. It's an honor everyone else said no.

- Seth MacFarlane

Everyone, Everyone Else, Oscars

I'm big on the importance of science, particularly right now at this point in time when there's sort of a systematic rejection of science by a lot of people in America.

- Seth MacFarlane

Big, Right, Particularly, Rejection

There are times when I'm under the weather and the corporate machine tries to put me in the recording booth anyway. It's always up to me to say, 'Guys, listen to me, listen to what I sound like. I'm not myself.'

- Seth MacFarlane

Always, Like, Tries, Anyway

There have to be people who are vocal about the advancement of knowledge over faith.

- Seth MacFarlane

Over, Vocal, About, Advancement

Believe it or not, I have about the same success rate as anyone else. Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss.

- Seth MacFarlane

Believe, Sometimes, About, Miss

The trend today is vampires, zombies, angels, all the stuff that puts me right to sleep. It's too bad because it's so much less interesting than the diversity of stories you can tell with science.

- Seth MacFarlane

Bad, Trend, Vampires, Angels

The good thing about Broadway is that you don't have to worry about an airdate. It gets done when it gets done.

- Seth MacFarlane

Worry, Broadway, About, Good Thing

I still do a lot of drawing on a daily basis.

- Seth MacFarlane

Daily, Still, Lot, Daily Basis

I have a car that I like - an Aston Martin - for Sunday drives in the country.

- Seth MacFarlane

Car, Country, Like, Sunday

'The Brady Bunch' asks nothing of you as a viewer. Sometimes is just what the doctor ordered.

- Seth MacFarlane

Doctor, Nothing, Viewer, Ordered

You would not want me on your football team.

- Seth MacFarlane

Want, Football Team, Would, Football

With any half-hour comedy, it kind of takes on its own life and finds itself.

- Seth MacFarlane

Comedy, Itself, Finds, Takes

I'm one of the few people in Hollywood who actually had a good childhood.

- Seth MacFarlane

Actually, Good Childhood, Few People

I did a lot of theater when I was in high school and college. I also did stand-up in college, so it was always part of what I did.

- Seth MacFarlane

College, Always, Part, High School

I'm bad at golf.

- Seth MacFarlane

Bad, Golf

You gotta keep the funny intact.

- Seth MacFarlane

You, Keep, Intact, Gotta

If I were to do a musical, I think I would rather make a film musical.

- Seth MacFarlane

Think, I Think, Would, Musical

The resistance to science is idiotic.

- Seth MacFarlane

Science, Resistance, Idiotic

The only problem is time.

- Seth MacFarlane

Time, Only, Problem

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