Every role is a new challenge, and that’s what excites me.

In Paris, when the picture came out [Casablanca] they weren’t too pleased with it. They didn’t like the political point of view. The picture was taken off immediately and was never sold to television. A while ago it was brought in and opened in five theatres in Paris, as a new movie. They had a big gala opening where I appeared and people were absolutely crazy about it.

The more sex appeal you have, the less you need actual sex.

The theater was my mother and my father.

Until 45 I can play a woman in love. After 55 I can play grandmothers. But between those ten years, it is difficult for an actress.

I have no desire to retire. As long as I can work, I want to.

I have had my different husbands, my families. I am fond of them all and I visit them all. But deep inside me there is the feeling that I belong to show business.

Acting is simply a matter of adjusting to new conditions.

Just give the Italians a chance for drama and they take it with both hands.

I made so many films which were more important, but the only one people ever want to talk about is that one with Bogart.

I wanted to be remembered as a great actress, not just as a star.

In Hollywood, you’re never any better than your last picture.

In love, as in life, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing.

I thank God who slowly dressed me in a heavy skin, otherwise I would now be dead.

Cancer victims who don’t accept their fate, who don’t learn to live with it, will only destroy what little time they have left.

I have learned to accept myself, and that is the most important thing.

I’m only interested in two kinds of people, those who can entertain me and those who can advance my career.

Happiness has to be chosen and cultivated.

The first time an autograph hunter told me, ‘You are my mother’s favorite actress,’ I aged twenty years.

I don’t think anyone has the right to intrude in your life, but they do. I would like people to separate the actress and the woman.

In every part I play, I always try to make the character as real as possible. I try to make people understand that there is something behind every face.

The best way to keep young is to keep going in whatever it is that keeps you going. With me that’s work, and a lot of it. And when a job is finished, relax and have fun.

I don’t think I am any more intelligent than the person next to me, I just try to think things through.

Time is shortening. But every day that I challenge this cancer and survive is a victory for me.

I remember one day sitting at the pool and suddenly the tears were streaming down my cheeks. Why was I so unhappy? I had success. I had security. But it wasn’t enough. I was exploding inside.

Acting is not about being famous, it’s about exploring the human soul.

A kiss is a lovely trick to stop speech.

A kiss is a secret that takes the lips for the ear.

Thank you for your coffee, seignior. I shall miss that when we leave Casablanca.

Never again! I can see no reason for marriage – ever at all. I’ve had it. Three times is enough.

The most beautiful thing in the world is the word, and when you know how to say it in a way that you believe it, that is what makes acting.

Give me an hour and I’ll make a lifetime out of it.

It is not whether you really cry. It’s whether the audience thinks you are crying.

One is never too old for romance.

There are advantages to being a star though – you can always get a table in a full restaurant.

I am an actress, but I’ve always tried to be a human being first.

I was the shyest human ever invented, but I had a lion inside me that wouldn’t shut up.

I hate Sunday, I can’t wait for Monday so I can go back to work again.

Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.

If you took acting away from me, I’d stop breathing.

I have grown up alone. I’ve taken care of myself. I worked, earned money and was independent at 18.

I think that when you are acting, you do give part of yourself. If you don’t, you don’t get the full reward of acting.

I regret the things I didn’t do, not what I did.

I am an experienced woman. I’ve been around… Well, alright, I might not have been around, but I’ve been… nearby.

You must train your intuition – you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.

I have often wondered how it is that I never lost my love for acting. It has been with me all my life, and the older I get, the more I feel that this is the only thing I can do.

Be yourself. The world worships the original.

Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.

Happiness is good health and a bad memory.