The surprising thing was, it's actually easier working on animation than working on a comic strip, because Garfield is animated in my head.
— Jim Davis
I was very happy and honored to create the Professor Garfield Foundation with Ball State to make reading fun.
You have to do something when you're lying in bed. So you play with your mind.
You'd have to go a long way to find someone who was more proud and grateful for what our veterans have done for all of us.
I'm still a farm boy at heart. If I hadn't suffered from asthma as a child, I would be a farmer today.
I probably get more inspiration for human stories and idiosyncrasies than I do animal stories.
Cats are anthropomorphised in art because they are so laid back that you automatically attribute human thoughts and feelings to them.
Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat.
Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.
We live in a time where we're made to feel guilty about overeating, oversleeping, and not exercising. Garfield not only does all that, but he doesn't apologize for it.
Readers have told me that their children have learned to read after years of struggle after starting to read Garfield's comic strip and many people who have moved to the United States have said that they, too, learned English by reading Garfield.
When you're through with your cat, you can't throw it in the trash.
Usually I commit to something in my head and then I start drawing.
I can go everywhere and no one recognises me.
The understatement is the English contribution to comedy.
I thought if I could create a convincing cat I could say and do anything I wanted on the human condition.
Good morning is a contradiction of terms.
It occurred to me that cats were being held back a little bit. I thought, 'I'll give the cat human thoughts and feelings but not be apologetic for it. That would be very catlike.'
I stop short of being a workaholic.
Cats rule the world.
I was in and out of comas until I was nine and I would lose entire days and weeks. The novelty of being able to really do stuff hasn't worn off - I still feel like I'm making up for lost time.
My dream in life is to write the one gag that makes everyone in the world laugh.
I didn't have a whole lot of success getting dates, I was always a bit of a geek.
Way down deep, we're all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.
There are so many opportunities in life, that the loss of two or three capabilities is not necessarily debilitating. A handicap can give you the opportunity to focus more on art, writing, or music.
