I had always dared to dream large, but even this black kid~ez_rsquo~s imagination could not have come close to inventing the storybook success that I have enjoyed in the nearly thirty years I`ve worked in this medium I adore.

If everybody else your age is doing something very different than what you're doing, there's always going to be someone saying to you you might not succeed with it, you might not make any money with that... there's always going to be some type of obstacle in the way. All of those things will go away if you really focus on what makes you happy.

If you can get the crew to laugh on a show, you know that you're doing something.

I knew Elmo should represent love. Kissing and hugging.

A boss should be respectful of everybody. He should still make sure everybody knows that he is the boss, without having to say it 24/7, but by him approaching you in a way that led you to know that you mean something to the company.

Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing, and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately.

I've never been nervous. I just wanted to play and have a good time. If it didn't work, then I would get nervous. But, for the most part, I just go for it.