Katharine Hepburn Quotes

If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

Kindness is one of the greatest gifts you can bestow upon another. If someone is in need, lend them a helping hand. Do not wait for a thank you. True kindness lies within the act of giving without the expectation of something in return.

You can't just be talented: You have to be terribly smart and energetic and ruthless. You also have to become necessary to people, by working hard and well and bringing more than your bones and your skin to the project. Don't just show up. Transform the work, yourself, and everybody around you. Be needed. Be interesting. Be something no one else can be--and consistently.

As one goes through life, one learns that if you don't paddle your own canoe, you don't move.

The thing about life is that you must survive. Life is going to be difficult, and dreadful things will happen. What you do is move along, get on with it, and be tough. Not in the sense of being mean to others, but being tough with yourself and making a deadly effort not to be defeated.

Never complain. Never explain.

I have no romantic feelings about age. Either you are interesting at any age or you are not. There is nothing particularly interesting about being old - or being young, for that matter.

Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I've had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you have got not to forget to laugh.

I have not lived as a woman. I have lived as a man. I've just done what I damn well wanted to, and I've made enough money to support myself, and ain't afraid of being alone

Let's just say that where a change was required, I adjusted. In every relationship that exists, people have to seek a way to survive. If you really care about the person, you do what's necessary, or that's the end. For the first time, I found that I really could change, and the qualities I most admired in myself I gave up. I stopped being loud and bossy... Oh, all right. I was still loud and bossy, but only behind his back.

You politicians remain professional because the voters remain amateur.

We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.

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

If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.

You can’t change the music of your soul.

The woman's position in the world today is so much harder than a man's that it makes me choke every time I hear a man complain about anything.

What the hell-you might be right, you might be wrong...but don't just avoid.

I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex.

Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and, at the same time, selling yourself.

I have many regrets, and I'm sure everyone does. The stupid things you do, you regret... if you have any sense, and if you don't regret them, maybe you're stupid.

What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate.

I would have been a terrible mother because I'm basically a very selfish human being. Not that that has stopped most people going off and having children.

Few people know what they mean when they say, "I love you." ... Well, what does the word love mean? It means total interest. I think the reason very few people really fall in love with anyone is they're not willing to pay the price. The price is you have to adjust yourself to them.

When I’ve been unsuccessful, I’ve been controlled. When I’ve been successful, I’ve been in control.

What in the world would we do without our libraries?

Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.

You are the only person you can actually change

I've made forty-three pictures. Naturally I'm adorable in all of them.

The calla lilies are in bloom again.

Nobody owes anybody anything; it's up to each individual to set high standards for himself or herself, and to set about working hard and creating a solid future.

You give because you love and cannot help giving.

Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get — only what you are expecting to give — which is everything. What you will receive in return varies. But it really has no connection with what you give. You give because you love and cannot help giving.

The average Hollywood film star's ambition is to be admired by an American, courted by an Italian, married to an Englishman and have a French boyfriend.

Life is hard. After all, it kills you.

Friendship, if somebody holds out his hand toward you, you've got to reach and take it... There are too many people alone, and if you're lucky enough for somebody to want you as a friend, it's an obligation.

The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower—suitable to any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day, and now I place them here in memory of something that has died.

I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.

It's not what you start in life, it's what you finish.

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

I don't care WHAT the say about me, as long as it's not the truth

It's a business you go into because your an egocentric. It's a very embarrassing profession.

Life gets harder the smarter you get, the more you know.

To keep your character intact you cannot stoop to filthy acts. It makes it easier to stoop the next time.

I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.

It's a rather rude gesture, but at least it's clear what you mean.

Don't give in! Make your own trail. Don't moan. Don't complain. Think positively.

I wear my sort of clothes to save me the trouble of deciding which clothes to wear.

The time to make up your mind about people is never.

Silence the artist and you have silenced the most articulate voice the people have.