“Time is the stuff of which life is made.”

A boy sows a wild oat or two, the world winks. A girl does the same — scandal.

I was brought up by two extremely intelligent people who gave me the greatest gift that man can give anyone, and that is freedom from fear.

I’ve always thought men and women are not too well suited to each other. It’s inevitable that they should come together, but, again, how well suited are they to live together in the same house?

The notion that work is a burden is a terrible mistake. Working and facing up to one’s responsibilities: That’s happiness.

You are the only person you can actually change.

All my life, I’ve stayed at parties too long because I didn’t know when to go.

If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.

It is the plain women who know about love; the beautiful women are too busy being fascinating.

I realised long ago that skirts are hopeless. Anytime I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say, ‘Try one. Try a skirt.’

It’s either some kind of electricity or some kind of energy. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is, I’ve got it.

Isn’t it fun getting older? is really a terrible fallacy. That’s like saying I prefer driving an old car with a flat tire.

I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they’re good or there because they’re lucky.

I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done; as long as I enjoyed it at the time.

If you survive long enough, you’re revered – rather like an old building.

Plain women know more about men than beautiful women do.

I don’t think that work ever really destroyed anybody. I think that lack of work destroys them a hell of a lot more.

Desire is half of life, indifference is half of death.

Keep your mind fixed on what you want in life: not on what you don’t want.

A man is what a woman makes him and a woman makes herself.

Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.

Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.

I meant to write about death, only life came breaking in as usual.

While there’s life, there is hope.