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Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner Quotes

Actress

Ava Gardner was an American actress renowned for her striking beauty and charismatic performances. She gained fame in the 1940s and 1950s, starring in a series of classic films. Gardner was often cast in romantic leads, and her screen presence was both captivating and enigmatic. Despite her success, she faced personal challenges and was known for her tumultuous relationships. Gardner's career spanned over four decades, leaving a lasting impact on the film industry.

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All Ava Gardner Ifs People Thinking Years Actresses Directors Hands Hell Honey

Famous Ava Gardner Quotes

“I'm here to tell you, there ain't much forgiveness in that old-time religion. That particular savior was a mean son of a bitch. If you sinned, honey, he was going to get you, no doubt about it.”

God Humor Religion Sin Forgiveness Ava Gardner

Book:Ava: My Story

Source: Ava: My Story

“When he fell down the stairs, he told people he'd had a stroke. He was just pissed out of his skull. I love Dirk, he is such a drama queen.”

Affection Ava Gardner Dirk Bogarde

Book:Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

Source: Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

“And I won 'em back fair and square. So what are you going to do about it? Want to fight? Who wants the first bloody nose?”

Fighting Marbles Ava Gardner

Book:Ava: My Story

Source: Ava: My Story

“In one scene, when I was supposed to say, "In a pig's eye you are," what came out was, "In a pig's ass you are." Old habits die awfully hard.”

Humor Swearing Improvising Ava Gardner Night Of The Iguana

Book:Ava: My Story

Source: Ava: My Story

“Then, aided by the booze, like a fool I tossed off one of those throwaway lines that would have been better thrown away. "Ah, Frank! I thought you were going to be down here fucking Lana.”

Humor Fighting Frank Sinatra Ava Gardner Lana Turner Best Lines

Book:Ava: My Story

Source: Ava: My Story

“I do everything for a reason. Most of the time the reason is money.”

Author:Ava Gardner

“I am deeply superficial.”

Ego Superficial

Author:Ava Gardner

“I suffered, I really suffered, with all three of my husbands. And I tried damn hard with all three, starting each marriage certain that it was going to last until the end of my life. Yet none of them lasted more than a year or two.”

Years Two Ends Hard Lasts Certain Three Husband Starting Damn My Husband

Author:Ava Gardner

“Deep down, I'm pretty superficial.”

Inspiration Superficial Deep Down

Author:Ava Gardner

“I think the main reason my marriages failed is that I always loved too well but never wisely.”

Thinking Wells Reason

Author:Ava Gardner

“I have only one rule in acting - trust the director and give him heart and soul.”

Inspirational Giving Heart Soul Motivational Actors Acting Directors Heart And Soul

Author:Ava Gardner

“Hollywood - that's a place where love is viewed both pragmatically and philosophically in the saying, 'Tis better to have loved and divorced than never to have had any publicity at all.”

Love Is Hollywood Divorced Publicity

Author:Ava Gardner

“Women's liberation as a movement makes some valid points. But in the final analysis, it doesn't matter who wears the pants - as long as there's money in the pockets.”

Long Matter Money Movement Finals Liberation Analysis Pockets Pants

Author:Ava Gardner

“Petting is the study of the anatomy in braille.”

Study Anatomy Braille

Author:Ava Gardner

“Doing nothing feels like floating on warm water to me. Delightful, perfect.”

Feels Water Perfect Warm Delightful Floating Doing Nothing

Author:Ava Gardner

“I wish to live to 150 years old, but the day I die, I wish it to be with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other.”

Years Hands Dies Wish Glasses Cigarette Whiskey Whisky Drinking Whiskey Whiskey Drinking Whiskey And Love

Author:Ava Gardner

“So this was where lust was satisfied. If I'd been an old-time miner I'd have asked for my gold nugget back.”

Ifs Gold Lust Satisfied Miners Old Time Nuggets

Author:Ava Gardner

“When you have to face up to the fact that marriage to the man you love is really over, that's very tough, sheer agony. In that kind of harrowing situation, I always go away and cut myself off from the world. Also, I sober up immediately when there is genuine bad news in my life; I never face it with alcohol in my brain. I just rented a house in Palm Springs and sat there and just suffered for a couple of weeks. I suffered there until I was strong enough to face it.”

“God knows I've got so many frailties myself, I ought to be able to understand and forgive them in others. But I don't.”

Knows Able Ought Forgiving God Knows Frailty

Author:Ava Gardner

“Maybe, in the final analysis, they saw me as something I wasn't and I tried to turn them into something they could never be. I loved them all but maybe I never understood any of them. I don't think they understood me.”

Thinking Turns Marriage Saws Understood Finals Analysis

Author:Ava Gardner

“He will always be my Sir Galahad.”

Author:Ava Gardner

“Our phone bills were astronomical, and when I found the letters Frank wrote me the other day, the total could fill a suitcase. Every single day during our relationship, no matter where in the world I was, I'd get a telegram from Frank saying he loved me and missed me. He was a man who was deseperate for companionship and love. Can you wonder that he always had mine!”

Men World Matter Found Wonder Mines Letters And Love Bills Phones Frank Our Relationship Companionship Suitcases Telegrams

Author:Ava Gardner

“Don't think for a minute that bad publicity and endless criticism don't leave their claw marks on everyone concerned. Your friends try to cheer you up by saying lightly, "I suppose you get used to it, and ignore it." You try. You try damned hard. But you never get used to it. It always wounds and hurts.”

Thinking Trying Hard Used Hurt Minutes Concerned Criticism Mark Wounds Endless Cheer Publicity Claws Cheer You Up

Author:Ava Gardner

“I hate cheating. I won’t put up with it. I don’t do it myself.”

Hate I Hate Cheating

Author:Ava Gardner

“When I lose my temper, honey, you can't find it any place.”

Loses Honey Temper

Author:Ava Gardner

“I want to remember it all, the good times and the bad times, the late nights, the boozing, the dancing into dawns, and all the great and not-so-great people I met and loved in those years.”

People Want Years Remember Night Mets Late Dancing Dawn Good Times Great People Bad Times Late Night

Author:Ava Gardner

“Sing me not a song; let me hear your recital of veneration and respect; this I will listen to over and over when I share your need of pleasing.”

Needs Song Share Respect Let Me Veneration Recitals

Author:Ava Gardner

“When I'm old and gray, I want to have a house by the sea. And paint. With a lot of wonderful chums, good music, and booze around. And a damn good kitchen to cook in.”

Want Hate House Wonderful Sea I Hate Paint Cooks Damn Kitchen Gray Hate You I Hate You Booze Damn Good Chum

Author:Ava Gardner

“The truth is that the only time I'm happy is when I'm doing absolutely nothing. I don't understand people who like to work and talk about it like it was some sort of goddamn duty. Doing nothing feel like floating on warm water to me. Delightful, perfect.”

People Feels Water Perfect Duty Truth Is Warm Delightful Floating Only Time Doing Nothing Absolutely Nothing

Author:Ava Gardner

“If I had my life to live over again, I'd live it the same way. Maybe a few changes here or there, but nothing special. The truth is, honey, I've enjoyed my life. I've had a hell of a good time.”

Ifs Way Hell Special Truth Is Enjoyed Good Times Honey

Author:Ava Gardner

“And the news got worse. It appeared that there was this whole other person Jesus Christ whose birthday a lot of people tended to confuse with mine. I was personally outraged. It was a long time before I forgave the Lord for that.”

People Persons Long Whole Jesus Christ Lord Mines News Long Time Jesus Christ Outraged

Author:Ava Gardner

“I thought I was making fifty dollars a week [at MGM], but it turned out to be $35 because twelve weeks of the year you were on layoff. It was white slavery, and it lasted for seventeen years.”

Years White Week Slavery Dollars Fifty Twelve Seventeen Mgm Layoff

Author:Ava Gardner

“I dealt with men who had tempers, and who could get violent-Lord knows how I had to defend myself against Howard Hughes and Frank Sinatra, and from Artie Shaw's verbal abuse. But George [C. Scott] was a different category of animal when he got drunk. He'd break into my hotel room, which he did in Italy, London and at the Beverly Hills Hotel, attack me to where I was frightened for my life, and scream, 'Why won't you marry me?' Well, I would never marry a man who couldn't control his liquor. Me, I'm a happy drunk. I laugh, I dance. I certainly don't break bottles and threaten to kill.”

“Oh, what the hell did I know? I went to the set the first day in full makeup and the director told me to take it off. So I did the film without makeup. I had nothing to do with anything I did. I never understood why I was so famous.”

Knows Firsts Film Hell Directors Understood Makeup Without Makeup

Author:Ava Gardner

“I was lazy. I would have been a hell of a lot better actress had I taken it more seriously. I never had the proper respect for acting. Quite often, I learned my lines on the way to the studio.”

Way Has Beens Lines Acting Hell Taken Studios Actresses Lazy

Author:Ava Gardner

“Although no one believes me, I have always been a country girl and still have a country girl's values”

Believe Stills Country Values Girl Believe In Me Country Girl

Author:Ava Gardner

“Because I was promoted as a sort of a siren and played all those sexy broads, people made the mistake of thinking I was like that off the screen. They couldn't have been more wrong”

People Thinking Has Beens Made Mistake Sexy Screens Broads Sirens Siren Song

Author:Ava Gardner

“I haven't taken an overdose of sleeping pills and called my agent. I haven't been in jail, and I don't go running to the psychiatrist every two minutes. That's something of an accomplishment these days.”

Two Running Sleep Taken Minutes Havens Agents These Days Accomplishment Jail Pills Psychiatrist Overdose Sleeping Pills

Author:Ava Gardner

“I must have seen more sunrises than any other actress in the history of Hollywood.”

Hollywood Actresses Sunrise

Author:Ava Gardner

“I've certainly never taken the care of myself that I should have. On the contrary. I've done a lot of late nights without enough sleep and all that. But I've had fun. Whatever wrinkles are there, I've enjoyed getting them.”

Should Done Enough Care Night Fun Sleep Taken Late Should Have Contrary Enjoyed Wrinkles Late Night Had Fun Enough Sleep

Author:Ava Gardner

“All I have going is my looks. When my beauty goes, I'm through.”

Author:Ava Gardner

“I was never an actress -- none of us kids at Metro were. We were just good to look at.”

Looks Kids Actresses Metro

Author:Ava Gardner

“I don't mind growing old. If I have to go before my time, this is how I'll go-- cigarette in one hand, glass of scotch in the other.”

Ifs Mind Hands Growing Glasses My Time Cigarette Growing Old Scotch

Author:Ava Gardner

“What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave me everything I never wanted.”

Author:Ava Gardner

“It’s a pity nobody believes in simple lust anymore.”

Believe Simple Lust Pity

Book:Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

Source: Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

“Elizabeth Taylor is not beautiful, she is pretty—I was beautiful.”

Book:Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

Source: Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

“Love is nothing but a pain in the ass”

Pain Love Is Ass

Author:Ava Gardner

“After my screen test, the director clapped his hands gleefully and yelled: “She can't talk! She can't act! She's sensational!””

Hands Directors Tests Screens Sensational

Author:Ava Gardner

“I couldn't imagine a better place [Australia] for making a film on the end of the world.”

World Ends Film Imagine Australia Better Place End Of The World

Author:Ava Gardner

“I either write the book or sell the jewels. And I'm kinda sentimental about the jewels.”

Writing Book Sells Sentimental Jewels

Book:Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

Source: Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

About the Author

Born: December 24, 1922
Died: January 25, 1990
Known for: Actress
Quotes: 54

Related Topics

Ava Gardner Ifs People Thinking Years Actresses Directors Hands Hell Honey

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Ava Gardner: The Secret ConversationsRelated source material

Ava: My StoryRelated source material

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