Cathy Guisewite

“The specific story line that people have responded to the most has been the horror of bathing suit shopping.”

“I'm lucky that my real-life Mom has both a great sense of humor about herself and an amazing ability to slip into complete denial if the subject matter gets a little too close to home.”

“Every time I get something under control in my own life, the world provides more material.”

“Food, love, career, and mothers, the four major guilt groups.”

“A young bride can put on makeup at 6 in the morning and look fabulous at midnight. I have about a 15-minute window where I actually look good, and then I have to wash my face and start over.”

“I wasn't intending to create a comic strip to begin with. So I think I wasn't aware that when the strip started, there had never been a woman's voice quite like this in the newspaper.”

“The relationship between Cathy and Mom in the strip is the one relationship drawn from real life that I have proudly never even tried to disguise.”

“I'm married, which means that instead of occasionally wondering about men from afar, I actually live with one and can be constantly astounded by the strange male brain.”

“I wanted Cathy and Irving to actually say 'I do' and be pronounced husband and wife on Feb. 5, which is my mom's birthday.”

“Mothers send strips to daughters to make a point. Daughters smack strips down on the breakfast table to make a point. My own mom sometimes cuts a strip out and sends it to me to make sure I understand her.”

“Otherwise, my whole career has just been flinging myself at whatever is most overdue first and letting everything else stack up.”

“Because the majority of my readers are women, I feel that one public service I can provide to them is to spread the message of regular mammograms and early detection within the strip.”

“The specifics of Cathy's and my life are different now, but the basic life challenges are exactly the same.”

“Cartooning is a wonderful career, and I'd like more women to get to have it. I can't think of any reason why we won't see more syndicated female cartoonists in the future.”

“Defy your own group. Rebel against yourself.”