Quotes

Wearing the correct dress for any occasion is a matter of good manners.

I believe that if we have lived our lives fully and well, and have accomplished, at least in part, the things we were put here to do, we will be prepared - mentally, physically and spiritually - for our separation from this world.

Our human connections are guided by God, and ultimately all of us are linked through His love. Thus, we have all already met, not as actress and fan but as His children, and we can never be lost to each other.

What you don't know intrigues you more than what you do know. I believed all those love stories - the hero was the hero - because that's what I grew up with. I loved the romance and the roses, but when it came to a more realistic life, I would back away.

If you want a place in the sun, you have to expect a few blisters.

The easiest way to crush your laurels is to lean on them.

A charming woman is a busy woman

A charming woman... doesn't follow the crowd. She is herself.

A face is like the outside of a house, and most faces, like most houses, give us an idea of what we can expect to find inside.

A face that is really lovely in repose can fall apart if, when its owner stars to talk, she distorts every feature.

A pleasant voice, which has to include clear enunciation, is not only attractive to those who hear it... its appeal is permanent.

On strategy: The trick to life, I can say now in my advanced age, is to stop trying to make it so important.

[when offered the role of Miriam in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) after Joan Crawford became ill] I don't believe in horror stories for women and I wouldn't play a part like that if I were starving.

[presenting Best Picture at the 1982 Academy Awards] Reality is the main quality that most creative filmmakers seek to achieve in their work. They believe its a vital ingredient to a success of a motion picture. Fortunately, reality - contrary to some beliefs - is not restricted to sordid or shocking themes, nor gritty gutter language, nor gratuitous violence, et cetera. Reality is also healthy, wholesome, love and romance. It's courage, adventure, inspiration and heroism.This year some tasteful film makers have rediscovered that fact and I am delighted for one. And we are all of us enriched because of it.

My favorite actresses now are Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand. I think Barbra is the biggest all-around talent because her voice, her attitude, her acting and she's been tested. A lot of the other young ones I can't tell apart. All the blondes I can't tell apart.

No. They're all better than I was. We had our favorites in our period, too. Bette Davis and Ingrid Bergman were the two best actresses. They were both so honest, full of integrity, both of them. Both of them so vulnerable. I don't I think you'll ever see a better performance on film than Bette Davis in The Little Foxes (1941) or Now, Voyager (1942). Bette really really really was talented. Had the energy of a bull. And there wasn't a mean bone in her body.

I hated school... One of the reasons was a learning disability, dyslexia, which no one understood at the time. I still can't spell...