A person without memory is either a child or an amnesiac. A country without memory is neither a child nor an amnesiac, but neither is it a country.

[On her early Hollywood roles] "I was as two-dimensional as the screen itself: cool, indifferent, looking lovely in close ups. Period. Period. Period. When was I ever going to learn to act? You can`t learn if you can`t experiment and find out what works and doesn`t work. But the hours are long, the schedule rigid, so I did what I was told and saved time and money for the front office. And got a lot of jobs that way."

At Metro, you practically had to go to the front office if you wanted something as real as having your hair mussed. . . All automobiles were shiny, a picture never hung crooked, a door never squeaked, stocking seams were always straight and no actress ever had a shiny nose.

There are five stages in the life of an actor: Who`s Mary Astor? Get me Mary Astor. Get me a Mary Astor Type. Get me a young Mary Astor. Who`s Mary Astor?

At Metro, you practically had to go to the front office if you wanted something as real as having your hair mussed. . . All automobiles were shiny, a picture never hung crooked, a door never squeaked, stocking seams were always straight and no actress ever had a shiny nose

[On George S. Kaufman] "He was the kind of man I`d go over a cliff for."

Once you start asking questions, innocence is gone.

It`s not good to make sentimental journeys. You see the differences instead of the sameness.

I was never totally involved in movies. I was just making my father`s dream come true.

A painter paints, a musician plays, a writer writes - but a movie actor waits.