Quotes

I never believed marriage was a lasting institution. I thought that to be married for five years was to be married forever.

I was this flat-chested, big-footed, lanky thing.

I don't think being the only child of a single parent helped. I was always a little unsteady in my self-belief. Then there was the Jewish thing. I love being Jewish, I have no problem with it at all. But it did become like a scar, with all these people saying you don't look it.

I remember my oldest son, Steve, saying to me once, "I don't ever remember seeing you with an apron on." And I thought, "That's right, honey, you did not." That was his concept of what a mother should be.

I would hate now [2005] to be married. It does occur to me on occasion that, if I fall and hit my head, there will be no one to make the phone call. But who wants to think about that disaster? I'd prefer not to.

I am still working, I've never stopped and, while my health holds out, I won't stop.

I put my career in second place throughout both my marriages and it suffered. I don't regret it. You make choices. If you want a good marriage, you must pay attention to that. If you want to be independent, go ahead. You can't have it all.

Actors today go into TV, which I don't consider has a lot to do with acting. They only think of stardom. If you photograph well, that's enough. I have a terrible time distinguishing one from another. Girls wear their hair the same, and are much too anorexic-looking.

We live in an age of mediocrity. Stars today are not the same stature as Bogie [Humphrey Bogart], James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart [James Stewart].

A legend involves the past. I don't like categories. This one is great and that one is great. The word "great" stands for something. When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise. His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness.

I'm a total Democrat. I'm anti-Republican. And it's only fair that you know it... I'm liberal. The L word!

[on Humphrey Bogart] Was he tough? In a word, no. Bogey was truly a gentle soul.

[on John Huston] He was about something.

I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.

On imagination: Imagination is the highest kite that can fly.

[upon receiving her Honorary Oscar] A man at last!

Yes, I saw Twilight (2008) - my granddaughter made me watch it, she said it was the greatest vampire film ever. After the "film" was over I wanted to smack her across her head with my shoe, but I do not want a (tell-all) book called Grannie Dearest written on me when I die. So instead I gave her a DVD of Murnau's 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) and told her, "Now that's a vampire film!". And that goes for all of you! Watch Nosferatu instead!

It's been misspelt a lot. He decided on it. It's not "Bogey". He signed it with an "ie". And that's good enough for me.

A woman isn't complete without a man. But where do you find a man - a real man - these days?

[on receiving an honorary Oscar] The thought when I get home that I'm going to have a two-legged man in my room is so exciting.

You learn to cope with whatever you have to cope with. I spent my childhood in New York, riding on subways and buses. And you know what you learn if you're a New Yorker? The world doesn't owe you a damn thing,

[on filming her most famous scene, in To Have and Have Not (1944)] My hand was shaking, my head was shaking, the cigarette was shaking, I was mortified. The harder I tried to stop, the more I shook. I realized that one way to hold my trembling head still was to keep it down, chin low, almost to my chest, and eyes up at Bogart. It worked and turned out to be the beginning of The Look.

[on Bette Davis] Well, I must say that I always loved her. And I think that she - for me - was the best actress and the most exciting female star on the screen. I think her work will live forever. I think it's timeless. And as she got older, her talent did not diminish. I mean, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) - she - it was a wonderful job of acting that she did. She looked like a fright, but that was the part. But she could convey almost anything. She was quite an extraordinary talent. And unfortunately, she didn't have an opportunity to do as much a she wanted to, but she was a woman who had to work. And I understand that better than most people do - that you have to work.

(on Shock Treatment (1964)) A nightmare!"

(on Confidential Agent (1945)) A very bad experience for Boyer and myself. He was wonderful. But Herman Shumlin, who directed, knew nothing about movies. He gave me terrible direction, if any. It was just a nightmare. Schumlin did nothing to help. The press killed me - after building me into this combination of Gabo and Dietrich and Mae West and God-knows-who. Sddenly I became this nothing. I spent the next 20 years building myself back up to where I had any confidence at all in what I could do.

(on Woman's World (1954)) Not a giant hit, but I got terrific reviews. Clifton Webb was Bogie's old friend, and Fred MacMurray was terrific; he was someone else who was never appreciated.

(on The Cobweb (1955)) We used to kid about that while making it; the movie was about the God-damned drapes. Vincente was a marvelous man, but totally visual. He was not so interested in actors.

(on Michael Curtiz) His great talent was moving the camera around. Bright Leaf (1950) was a joke, but I was thrilled to work with Cooper. Young Man, I thought was pretty good though Mike Curtiz was not the ideal director for the Bix Beiderbecke story.

[on accusations that she had imitated Marlene Dietrich in some of her early roles] I didn't think I was imitating anyone in particular, certainly not her. I was not a fan of hers... Dietrich had a gigantic ego, and boy you could see the light; she always had the right light on herself. Me, I never knew anything about light. I was stupid about that.