[Her explanation for bringing excess luggage to London in 1969 for her year long stint on stage as `Mame`] "I believe in dressing for the occasion. There`s a time for sweater, sneakers and Levis and a time for the full-dress jazz. As for the little touches, well, a year is quite a long time and they make one feel at home."

When two people love each other, they don`t look at each other, they look in the same direction.

The only way to enjoy anything in this life is to earn it first

In everything that I do I learn and try to put it to use. I have learned to go through life not into it. It`s like a boat. You mustn`t let the water in or you`re sunk. Of course, I`ve made mistakes and I have had failures, but I do not dwell on them because people don`t care about garbage. When I make a mistake it`s like a bad leaf on a lettuce - I throw it out into the waste basket.

I believe in living each day as it comes, to the best of my ability. When it`s done, I put it away, remembering that there will be a tomorrow to take it`s place. If I have any philosophy, that`s it. To me it`s not a fatalistic attitude. [on Fred Astaire, 1976] I adore the man. I always have adored him. It was the most fortunate thing that ever happened to me, being teamed with Fred: he was everything a little starry-eyed girl from a small town ever dreamed of."

[on her partnrship with Astaire] "After all, it`s not as if we were Abbott and Costello. We did have careers apart from each other."

[speaking in 1975] "The 30s were such a pretty time. I know it was a bad time for an awful lot of people, but not for me. I remember the whole atmosphere, the ambiance of the 30s with a glow because success was knocking at my door. I got to California in `32, just in time to go Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), where I sang `Were In the Money`. It was a whole new life for me. I was excited about it. It was happy and beautiful and gay and interesting. I was surrounded by marvelous people, all the top people of our industry."

It`d be fun to have a chum around, but it`s very hard to have a chum unless you`re married to him. And I don`t believe in today`s concept for living with someone unmarried. - 1987

[On working with Katharine Hepburn] "She is snippy you know, which is a shame. She was never on my side".

[on being asked in 1943 what a girl needs to be a movie star] "Intelligence , adaptability and talent. And by talent I mean the capacity for hard work. Lots of girls come here with little but good looks. Beauty is a valuable asset, but it is not the whole cheese."

Hollywood is like an empty wastebasket.

`They`re not going to get my money to see the junk that`s made today` (1983)

I`m most grateful to have had that joyous time in motion pictures. It really was a Golden Age of Hollywood. Pictures were talking, they were singing, they were coloring. It was beginning to blossom out: bud and blossom were both present.

Rhythym is born in all of us. To be a desirable dancing partner you don`t have to do all the intricate fancy steps that happen to be in vogue. All you have to do is be a good average dancer and anybody who spends the time and effort can accomplish this.

The most important thing in anyone`s life is to be giving something. The quality I can give is fun, joy and happiness. This is my gift.

I don`t know which I like best. I love the applause on the stage. But pictures are so fascinating - you reach many millions through them. And you make more money too. - in early 30s.

You bring out a lot of your own thoughts and attitudes when acting. I think a great deal of it has to do with the inner you. You know, there`s nothing damnable about being a strong woman. The world needs strong women. There are a lot of strong women you do not see who are guiding, helping, mothering strong men. They want to remain unseen. It`s kind of nice to be able to play a strong woman who is seen.

I think the motion pictures talked themselves out of business when they sold their backlogs [to TV networks]. They sold what they thought were old clothes. It turns out some of them had better material in them than their new ones.

My mother told me I was dancing before I was born. She could feel my toes tapping wildly inside her for months.

Even when one is of a certain age to make one`s own decisions there are many times when it is great to be able to go back and talk it over with the people one loves - one`s family.

{on Howard Hughes] Howard was one of the best dancers I ever knew, and fascinating to be with. Terribly bright and intelligent. But he was immersed in his work.

[on being asked in 1943 what a girl needs to be a movie star] Intelligence, adaptability and talent. And by talent I mean the capacity for hard work. Lots of girls come here with little but good looks. Beauty is a valuable asset, but it is not the whole cheese.

When you`re happy, you don`t count the years.

[on Fred Astaire, 1976] I adore the man. I always have adored him. It was the most fortunate thing that ever happened to me, being teamed with Fred: he was everything a little starry-eyed girl from a small town ever dreamed of.

It was tough being a woman in the theatrical business in those days.

I don`t care what the critics say. My fabulous mom will give me a good review if nobody else does.

[on working with Katharine Hepburn] She is snippy, you know, which is a shame. She was never on my side.

[on her screen partnership with Fred Astaire] We had fun and it shows. True, we were never bosom buddies off the screen; we were different people with different interests. We were only a couple on film.