Simon Amstell

“I was used to putting on a performance in order to be loved. And it took me a long time to get used to not having to do anything but be there with another human being.”

“I never regret being honest.”

“I felt that in the television there was safety, there was a place where you could be entirely yourself and be celebrated rather than put in prison.”

“The changes that have been made in my life have happened because I've looked in great and horrific depth at my own thoughts, and meditated endlessly.”

“It's never my intention to upset anyone or humiliate or shame anyone.”

“If at any point 'Carnage' became on paper preachy or annoying, we made sure something really funny was really near to that bit so people would be laughing rather than feeling judged. It is quite a compassionate film.”

“I had to lie about who I was between the ages of 13 and 21. Or I felt I did. Because I liked boys. I felt very alone, I didn't think it was possible to like boys without ruining my entire life.”

“The first time I got into therapy was when I was 29 - it's always when I'm about to hit a number. There's a feeling that comes along like, 'I can get older, as long as I don't carry on being the same person.' It's like shedding a skin.”

“It took so long to write 'Benjamin' that by the time we were shooting it, I understood what the film was about.”

“I think the thing that connects everything I've done is that I'm just trying to say something truthful, wherever I am.”

“It feels like an unkind thing to do, to attack religious people. It just feels rude.”

“To me, stand-up comedy is a place where you can say whatever you want. So to not use that space to say whatever you want is a missed opportunity, I think.”

“Any bit of good stand-up I've done has usually been when I've been deeply embarrassed to say the thing out loud.”

“The reason it's satisfying for me to write and perform stand-up is because I get to find out who I am. There's a healing aspect to doing it.”

“In the rainforest you look around and there's nothing that suggests getting older is a problem, but we're in a culture that screams at you to do something about it.”

“The things I loved growing up, like 'Roseanne,' actually said something about actual human beings.”

“I've solved aspects of myself.”

“I watched a film called 'Earthlings' years ago and it helped to upset me into veganism, so I thought what I could do was direct a film that was funny about the same subject so that people could watch it and feel wildly entertained as well as feeling mildly upset.”

“If you're feeling rage towards someone, it's quite difficult to have a nice time. But if you can do some work with your therapist, or your shaman, you might let go of the rage.”

“Comedy is a place where you can tell all the truths, where you can tell your truth.”