My dad taught me how to fish. When I am stand in a trout stream now, and I have the waders on, and I've got a fly rod in my hand, or I am fishing for bass, I think of sitting in a boat with my dad. How can that be a bad experience?
— Matt Lauer
People always say, 'Is it tough getting up at four in the morning?' I'm not terrible with that, but the weird thing for me is that I start to feel like a 3-year-old in need of a nap at about 7:30 at night; and, at 9:30, my head is teetering like that.
I learned more from my dad by osmosis than by any talk we ever had. He was the most reliable person I've ever met.
I've always liked the idea of walking into a cocktail party where there are different people and finding some connection with almost everybody in the room.
I read the rumors, and I know there is a cottage industry of meanness out there.
I like getting rid of things. I really do.
Mostly, I think of myself as having great common sense. I've always been proud of that. Was I a terrific student? Absolutely not. But put me in a roomful of people, and I don't think I'm ever going to embarrass myself.
There are pockets of liberal, affluent America where parents don't want their kids vaccinated.
I was one of these people, especially early in my career, who balanced the equation too much in favor of my job; I spent most of my life focusing on that. But becoming a dad gave me back perspective; it brought balance into my life.
People have the right to say whatever they want.
Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.
I like fishing as much when I don't catch anything as when I do.
Could there have been a better role for Florence Henderson than Mrs. Brady? She nurtured everybody. She was so caring.
Broadcasting through 9/11 together, like Katie Couric and I did, creates a bond.
Over the course of 20 years that I've been at NBC, I have never seen the amount of money I make reported correctly by the media.
It's rare when suddenly a window opens up, and you see a side of a celebrity you've never seen before, good or bad.
Does anyone want to see a person who's making the money that the newspapers say I'm making complaining, 'Woe is me, my life is terrible, and people are being unfair?' No one would've had any patience for that. I wouldn't have any patience for that.
Being in front of the camera - first of all, when I wanted to get into television, it was as a producer. I never had an idea that I would do anything in front of the camera, and that kind of happened by accident. But I wanted to be a producer or give me a job with the Yankees or play for the Knicks. I was a sports nut when I was a kid.
I don't think I'm all that interesting. I mean, I'm a guy who does a morning show and goes to bed at 9:00 every night. I mean, I don't have a lot in my life that's really fascinated or fodder for tabloids.
I don't find anything comes out of getting in someone's face during an interview and screaming.
When you get your dream job, you'd be really hard-pressed to leave it. Unless you've got another dream job out there.
If I buy something new - a piece of clothing, a tie, a shirt, a suit - something old has to go. That's the way I avoid clutter, crammed closets and drawers. It keeps things in balance, and it really works.
There are some harsh realities about this business, and they've been beaten into my psyche. But I'm more of an optimist than a pessimist.
I don't think it's a healthy thing in your personal life to go around with that never-sure attitude.
I'm glad to know that I can host the 'Today' show for 16 years and not be a trending topic. And all the sudden I'm on 'Royal Pains,' and I'm a trending topic. There's something a little strange about that.
In my mind, I am extraordinarily handy. But what that means is when I attempt to fix something, there's usually a five-minute period of experimentation, followed by a five-minute period of frustration, followed by a frantic phone call to a professional.
I'm not going to whine or get depressed. Who's going to feel sorry for me? Nobody.
There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry.
Early on, I had five jobs in a row where I was either fired or canceled.
I take the harsh criticism along with the compliments.
There's a difference between good chemistry and a bond. Chemistry is something you have with somebody you meet - or you don't. It's an intangible. It may be superficial. It's much harder to put your finger on than a bond.
If you are the person who gets the lion's share of attention in good times, guess what: you get the lion's share of attention in bad times.
The vast majority of what I've seen written about me is not true. My family and friends - the people who matter to me - they know the real story.
I did not stay at the 'Today' show because of money. I think there are other ways to make money.
I knew I wanted to work in television because some friends of mine, when I went to high school - their fathers worked for, as a matter of fact, for NBC Sports at the time.
I'm one of these people who tends to think that the ordinary people are more fascinating than the celebrities and even the politicians.
If I feel like I've done a great job during an interview with the president of the United States live in the Oval Office, it doesn't give me a tenth of the good feeling of going to the school play and making eye contact with my kids as they're onstage delivering their lines. Nothing compares with that moment of connection.
I don't want to be known in my life for what I do from 5 to 9 in the mornings.
I like it when things are where they're supposed to be.
I don't walk around saying everything is going to be wonderful.
My mother is a strong woman. Her strength comes from being tested by life's unpredictability. It comes from soldiering on for her children, even when she might rather have given up. I know it hasn't always come easily, but I also know it's her greatest gift.
On a day-to-day level, I love watching my kids accomplish the little things that seem trivial but are really milestones: seeing my son hit a baseball or watching my daughter draw something that actually looks like what she says she's drawing. Or hearing them say 'I love you.'
Every night at 6:30, my entire family sits down for dinner together. It's definitely the best part of my day.
I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love. I thank them for their patience and grace.
I was always more interested in asking people about themselves than I was telling them about me.
There was always an unspoken generosity about my mom.
I worry about that every single day: Am I being a good father?
You're going to have twenty years as host of the 'Today Show,' and eighteen of those years are going to be so unbelievably fantastic that you're going to think you're living in a fantasy world. And one or two of those years is going to be incredibly frustrating and challenging.
Outside of my family and my work, I have two passions, both instilled in me by my father: golf and fishing.
This is the best job in television. I grew up watching the 'Today show.'
