Patricia Richardson

“Television is a real woman's medium... but what's disturbing is, still even in television, women have so little to do with what's going on behind the scenes.”

“I kind of feel like people like to dump on 'Home Improvement,' and I don't know why.”

“Tim on the show does a lot of that posturing, of course, and feels sort of threatened by women. But even at that, you do see him cooking, and ultimately he's a good father because he spends a lot of time with the boys.”

“I know it's a lot harder for women who don't have enough help, but the truth is, no matter how much money you have, if you want to stay involved with your children and don't want to lose being a primary parent to them, you're still in the game.”

“Good actresses can often accomplish miracles, and it is possible to be someone you've never been or will be. But in a sitcom, there's no time.”

“But then my mother, who's a very selfless, stoic person from a family of Marines, would tell us that what was good for our father was good for us - he would make more money; therefore, we'd be able to get better educations.”

“I curse too much. I really do. I have a horrible cursing mouth.”

“You have to be the parent; you can't be their friend.”

“It was extremely hard going from being a parent of one to a parent of three, because now all these instant decisions have to be made about how you balance out the time and attention between them.”

“I had been a real problem child, but once I got into acting, my parents never had any more trouble with me because all of that energy was directed in a positive way.”

“Instead of yelling and spanking, which don't work anyway, I believe in finding creative ways to keep their attention - turning things into a game, for instance. And, when they do something good, positive reinforcement and praise.”

“They see me as being this Super Mom on TV who also can more than handle a difficult husband, and they assume I'm going to be just full of wisdom as a mother and wife myself.”

“Losing their reproductive rights is the first step to how women live in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.”

“Part of the whole L.A. mentality that nothing really matters unless it's a success... is such a shallow and dangerous attitude to have.”

“You go where you think it's good for your work and your soul to go. I need to go someplace where I am reminded about why I wanted to act in the first place, and for me, that's the theater.”

“I really was about to pass out during my entire wedding. I just didn't know if I could marry anybody.”

“Getting married and then having children just centered me and grounded my values. It was like a whole new world. It started happening in New York with a little play called Cruise Control, where I relaxed, and then I kept getting work in Hollywood till this series happened.”

“I always hated perfect TV moms because I always thought that was unrealistic.”

“I've had so many horrible things happen in my life since I did 'Home Improvement' that it's worried me about doing comedy because - how do I say this - I'm a much darker person than I was.”

“I don't understand that, because I think that what people like most about the show is that they recognize themselves in the characters and their problems, so the more believable the family is, the more we can draw the audience in.”