John Slattery quotes:

I like to try the scene over and over, but given the confines of television, I don't have that option.

Let's face it, making movies is all risk. Most of the time, batting average-wise, the reward does not outweigh the risk.

For some reason surfing... I'm not scared of the ocean so the risk doesn't seem as great to me.

We all went through that teen phase of wearing that really soft fragrance. As I got older, I started loving men's fragrances and cologne. I was so attracted to men's cologne; I would spray it all over me.

My mom used to wear the fragrance Poison when I was younger, and I remember that scent and the purple bottle. That was my first [perfume] memory.

I've never directed anything before 'Mad Men,' so I don't feel I have any advice for the other directors.

I'm a little kid at heart, so my eyes light up when everything is lit.

Characters can become boring. That's what's tricky about television. It goes on and on - you're playing this same character for five seasons and it gets easy to fall into just walking on the set and assuming you know how to play a scene.

Memories are just stories we tell ourselves about our past; and that's often why they don't match when we've shared the same experiences with someone.

But the path you end up on means that you have to close a lot of doors, too.

If [being confident stems from] a self-esteem issue, it's important to embrace the things you might define as so-called imperfections - because something that you might call an imperfection, someone else might find so amazing and so beautiful. It's all in how you embrace yourself, your faults, and your mistakes in life. There's no better way to learn and become a better person than to go through those moments.

I've dyed my hair a million times and it looks terrible, always. It just looks fake. And it doesn't make me look that much younger.

When I was growing up, the top movies dealt with grown-up, complex emotions.

Viewers can hate a character and at the same time can't take their eyes off of him.

I'm proud of myself that I had the courage to experiment with crazy hairstyles and some fashion things.

I was a horrible limo driver: I ran out of gas with passengers in the back and I used to get lost on a regular basis.

You have to fight for what you need to fight for.

You put a movie star or a bunch of movie stars in a movie, it doesn't mean people are gonna go see it. It's been proven time and time again.

I don't have to worry about how my movies sell because I'm not the guy in front.

The good thing about directing yourself is that you get over yourself.

The rule of surfing is never tell anyone where you go.

When I first started, I was kind of surprised that anyone would ever hire me at all. So I took everything that I was offered.

I've done a lot of pilots. A lot of shows. You're young and you do a job just because you know someone gave you a job.

And I don't want to jump out of an airplane - I've done that.

I guess, you make a big studio film, you spend a lot of money on it and you hope people go see it. It's really risky.

I do voiceovers, but being on-camera and selling something? I wasn't really interested. And then I thought, well, wait a minute. Everybody's selling something. When you turn on the tube... And then if you go to Europe or Asia, everyone is selling something. All the guys that don't want to be seen selling something here are selling something there. So I thought what the hell?

I think I gravitate towards people who express themselves in a simple and funny way.

I think the moments that are difficult for anybody are when you see what your life could be, if only you had the courage to take the steps needed.

A painting can't be everything. You have to stop, at some point. It has to be finished, if you want anyone to see it. Some people just continue to work on things, forever. I don't know which is better.

My wife tells me I need to learn to be more patient with my son.