Quotes

[interviewed by Charles Gibson on Good Morning America (1975) about his stint on Jeopardy! (1984):] I think most people are watching at home, don't realize how important the timing on the buzzer is. ... You know, those are three very smart people every night. And most people know most of the answers. So, the buzzer is going to be what separates the men from the boys. [July 12, 2004]

[on relying on access to the Internet over wide-ranging general knowledge] It worries me a little. When you make a decision you need facts. If those facts are in your brain, they're at your fingertips. If they're all in Google somewhere you may not make the right decision on the spur of the moment.

[on innate ability and his fascination with maps ] There's got to be some DNA component where you're just wired that way. These are the people who can actually follow Ikea instructions because their brains are very good at spatial relationships. For me, it started as a child with one of those little wooden jigsaw maps of the U.S., where's there's crocodiles on Florida and apples on Washington state. That was my very first map.

[on technical devices like GPS] I think it's making us dumber. Sure I have a cell-phone, so I don't have to remember everyone's number anymore, but that really wasn't a core part of my brain. If I start outsourcing all my navigation to a little talking box in my car, I'm sort of screwed. I'm going to lose my car in the parking lot every single time.

[2019, on James Holzhauer]: He feels as close to Watson (jeopardy playing computer) as you can get and still have a pulse.

[Guest-hosting 'Jeopardy!' on the first episode after Alex Trebek's passing]: Let's be totally clear, No one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved. Like all Jeopardy fans, I miss Alex very much and I thank him for everything he did for all of us.

[2019, on continuing to play in Jeopardy! Tournaments]: Obviously, I can't get 29-year-old Ken to show up with his sleek, 29-year-old brain. It's got to be me, with my broke-down brain.