From The Guardian:

A sharp, dry young graduate, who majored in English, Murphy was in talks with the producers of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show. They told him they were looking for writers for a new sitcom and sent him some scripts but, intent on pursuing a career in music, he failed to respond. He even ignored their offer to be the first staff writer on the show. Its name? Seinfeld. He still has the letter pinned to the wall of his office, a constant reminder of what he refers to as “the biggest mistake of my life”. He’s not proud of it. “Failure is not a positive,” he tells me. “And I speak as a fucking lifetime failure.”