Lauren Bacall's Quotes

Stardom isn't a profession, it's an accident.

We live in an age of mediocrity.

What is the point of working all your life and then stopping?

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 called my business manager in California and said, 'Sell all of my stock' - what little of it I had - and it's the only smart financial move I ever made.

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 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.

They're guys who want to screw around all the time, which interests me not at all. God knows we've done that, been there, and we don't want to do that any more.

When a woman reaches twenty-six in America, she's on the slide. It's downhill all the way from then on. It doesn't give you a tremendous feeling of confidence and well-being.

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.

You realize yourself when you start reflecting - because I don't live in the past, although your past is so much a part of what you are - that you can't ignore it. But I don't look at scrapbooks.

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

You can't start worrying about what's going to happen. You get spastic enough worrying about what's happening now.

A man's illness is his private territory and, no matter how much he loves you and how close you are, you stay an outsider. You are healthy.

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

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly.

I figure if I have my health, can pay the rent and I have my friends, I call it 'content.'

Looking at yourself in a mirror isn't exactly a study of life.

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

I am essentially a loner.

I am not a has-been. I am a will be.

Legends are all to do with the past and nothing to do with the present.

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.

Find me a man who's interesting enough to have dinner with and I'll be happy.

I finally felt that I came into my own when I went on the stage.

Patience was not my strong point.