Quotes by Helen Hayes

“The truth [is] that there is only one terminal dignitylove. And the story of a love is not importantwhat is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted...”

“We relish news of our heroes, forgetting that we are extraordinary to somebody too.”

“Yes I have doubted. I have wandered off the path but I always return. It is intuitive an intrinsic built-in sense of direction. I seem always to find my way home.”

“I was once the typical daughter then the easily recognizable wife and then the quintessential mother. I seem always to have reminded people of someone in their family. Perhaps I am just the triumph...”

“Always aim for achievement and forget about success.”

“If you rest you rust.”

“The truth [is] that there is only one terminal dignity�love. And the story of a love is not important�what is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitt...”

“The truth [is] that there is only one terminal dignity — love. And the story of love is not important — what is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permi...”

“An actress always knows when she’s hit it and mostly you haven’t; but once or twice I think I hit it right, so maybe that’s good enough for one life.”

“Actors cannot choose the manner in which they are born. Consequently, it is the one gesture in their lives completely devoid of self-consciousness.”

“We are indeed a strange lot! There are times we doubt that we have any emotions we can honestly call our own. I have approached every dynamic scene change in my life the same way. When I married Ch...”

“The theatre demanded of its members stamina, good digestion, the ability to adjust, and a strong sense of humor. There was no discomfort an actor didn’t learn to endure. To survive, we had to be ho...”

“Actors work and slave — and it is the color of your hair that can determine your fate in the end.”

“The flattering, if arbitrary, label, First Lady of the Theatre, takes its toll. The demands are great, not only in energy but eventually in dramatic focus. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a...”

“The old-fashioned idea that the simple piling up of experiences, one on top of another, can make you an artist, is, of course, so much rubbish. If acting were just a matter of experience, then any ...”

“Egocentrics are attracted to the inept. It gives them one more excuse for patting themselves on the back.”

“Marriage is like a war. There are moments of chivalry and gallantry that attend the victorious advances and strategic retreats, the birth or death of children, the momentary conquest of loneliness,...”

“The worst constructed play is a Bach fugue when compared to life.”

“The good die young — but not always. The wicked prevail — but not consistently. I am confused by life, and I feel safe within the confines of the theatre. O'Neil's dramas are slapstick farces, Albe...”