Jerry Springer

“No one would have picked me out in high school and said, 'This guy is going to be in show business.' I don't have any of the talents you would normally associate with show business.”

“Somebody once said I had a face for radio and a voice for newspapers.”

“When I was first on 'Dancing With The Stars', people were really shocked and surprised.”

“To go from politics to news, at least the subject matter is the same, even if the view is different.”

“We are all born as empty vessels which can be shaped by moral values.”

“I knew early on that I would do politics, but I would never make a living at it. I would do something else.”

“We can't just have mainstream behavior on television in a free society, we have to make sure we see the whole panorama of human behavior.”

“With a face like mine, I do better in print.”

“It's just a show. It's not the end of Western Civilization. It's chewing gum.”

“I play a crazy talk-show host, but that's not me. It's like an actor playing a role.”

“I treat politics kind of like my religion. It's something I believe in, but I don't want to have to make a living at it, because if you make a living at it, you somehow become dishonest.”

“I'm always playing a role, whether it's the role of the mayor, the role of a news anchor, or a role of a crazy talk-show host. But there was a specific function. 'On Dancing With The Stars', I had nothing to do but be me, schlepping around the floor. And when I host 'America's Got Talent', that's really me just talking to regular folks.”

“I'm a happy guy, but if I'm in a rare dark mood, I won't go out because I don't want to be horrible to people.”

“I'm liberal, but I watch the three majors. Obviously I watch MSNBC, also CNN and Fox, which is what I would call ridiculously to the right.”

“I don't live in Hollywood. I don't have celebrities as friends. I like them, but I don't pal around with them. I just live in the Midwest, a real normal world.”

“There's something about the openness of the American people. Yes, we have our faults, but deep down, there's a goodness. America doesn't want to take over the world; in many ways, we don't want to be bothered by the rest of the world.”

“All of us, whether or not we're celebrities, every one ought to spend part of their life making someone else's life better.”

“I don't want to be a celebrity.”

“My guess is more reporters probably vote Democrat than Republican - just because I think reporters are smart.”

“I watch sports and cable news. I'm a political junkie, so that's my interest.”