Dan Harmon Quotes

Professions:Artist

Born: January 3, 1973

Dan Harmon, the visionary creator behind *Community* and *Rick and Morty*, is a master of storytelling who transformed creative struggle into an art form. His philosophy, rooted in the "Story Circle" and radical vulnerability, champions imperfection as the engine of genius. Harmon’s quotes resonate because they strip away pretension, revealing the chaotic, human core of creativity—where failure is a prerequisite for brilliance. He teaches that true art emerges not from flawless execution, but from the relentless, messy pursuit of meaning. His legacy is a permission slip for every artist to embrace their own glorious dysfunction.

Dan Harmon Quotes (33)

"I love '30 Rock.' It's one of my favorite shows. It's certainly the gold standard of comedy writing."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Love

"There's a fine line between a stream of consciousness and a babbling brook to nowhere."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Mindfulness

"I care very much what the fans think. I'm starting to loosen my grip on caring about what critics say, because I think that critics care about what fans think of them, too, so there's a little bit of a refraction there, through that glass."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"There's the same percentage of genius happening in both genders, but there's less women writing scripts and out there looking for the job."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Creativity

"My passion for 'Star Trek' is actually rooted in my love of television and the art of franchise and a premise designed to stick people together that have to figure out what to do."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Love

"Eight o'clock is hard no matter what network you're on because people have to make a decision to sit down and start watching TV. Every other time slot is a time slot that happens after someone's watching something else."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Motivation

"I think that casting is probably the most important thing in television production."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I am a collaborator with everyone who agrees that I need to be in control. I happily collaborate with my loyalists."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I wish that television would stop selling our hatred of ourselves, and start seducing us with our love of ourselves."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Motivation

"Emotionally, shows like 'Cheers' and 'Taxi' were classic sitcoms when I was growing up."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"When you watch the sitcoms that were the big hits when I was growing up, TV was still just TV. It was allowed to just be TV. There were three channels that were competing for the whole family and you couldn't take your business elsewhere."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I don't think it's going to be possible for the next generation of writers to tell stories without telling stories about telling stories."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"People often ask me about what constitutes a nerd-friendly show - like, does it have to have sci-fi elements? But I think it's just a show that satisfies the secret craving we all have to be obsessed with something and not feel at all stupid about it."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I don't really have a lot of appropriate feelings for people on an individual basis, but I've always wanted to make people happy."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I really like performing for people."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I feel like my life has always been the 'Hey Look at Me Show.' I'm not apologetic about that."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I feel like I am a good person and a professional, very able leader of men."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"Television is a populous, derivative, democratic medium."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"Everyone knows that there are more people watching any given show than is being registered by the Nielsen system."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I was raised on NBC television."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"When I was a kid I never knew the difference between a sitcom and a drama. I just knew what my parents were watching and what was making them happy."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"The public's perception of your show is what it is, and you don't get to complain how people perceive your show or talk about it."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"Maybe I am just a jerk."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I am absolutely and inherently self-destructive in that I am always making sure I'm doing what I want to do."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"If your ratings are high and there's money being made, you're allowed to be a perfectionist in television."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"TV in all its ugliness can be a beautiful thing."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"I'm from Wisconsin so I always feel a little nauseous about begging and trying to trick people into liking me."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Motivation

"Truthfully, I'm pretty stuck in the '80s."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Wisdom

"The concept of doing holiday episodes is a huge part of what's fantastic about doing TV. And viewers agree; you see the numbers going up for holiday episodes."

Dan Harmon
Topic: Creativity
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