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Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson Quotes

Actress

Emma Thompson is a distinguished British actress celebrated for her diverse and accomplished career in film and theater. Born on April 15, 1959, Thompson has been recognized with numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 'Howards End'. She is also known for her performances in 'Sense and Sensibility', 'The Remains of the Day', and 'Love Actually'.

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All People Thinking Movies Ifs Filming Needs Way Writing Children Difficult

Famous Emma Thompson Quotes

“When husbands and fathers leave, their wives and daughters tend to value themselves less as a result.”

Mother Values Father Results Wife Husband Daughter Wife And Daughter Husband And Father

Author:Emma Thompson

“Sometimes I get to put on posh frocks and be Madam Glamour, the vendor of my wares. My lovely friend Kath, a stylist, puts me into things I'd never dream of. But my real life is very different. It's very, very home-based - an intense domestic life, that's the core of everything.”

Different Real Sometimes Home Dream Life Is Core Lovely Real Life Intense Glamour Stylist Posh Vendors Domestic Life

Author:Emma Thompson

“Children are the most wonderful audiences. What's struck me most is that that they watch it so silently, until the end when they shriek and shout and clap.”

Children Ends Watches Technology Audience Wonderful

Author:Emma Thompson

“I was brought up by very witty people who were dealing with quite difficult things: disease and death... I was brought up by people who tended to giggle at funerals.”

People Difficult Disease Witty Funeral Difficult Things Giggle Disease And Death Very Witty

Author:Emma Thompson

“Children don't need much advice but they really do need to be listened to and not just with half an ear.”

Needs Children Half Advice Ears

Author:Emma Thompson

“Film is so much to do with perfection and how differently you can feel about someone at the beginning of the film and the end of the film.”

Feels Ends Film Perfection

Author:Emma Thompson

“I don't have technique because I never learnt any.”

Author:Emma Thompson

“I have to write for everyone. What really fascinates me is how you make films or make stories that can genuinely be shared by different groups.”

Writing Different Stories Film Groups

Author:Emma Thompson

“My worst quality is impatience.”

Quality Worst Impatience

Author:Emma Thompson

“Sometimes you'll have some things, and sometimes you'll have other things. And you do not need it all at once; it's not good for you.”

Needs Sometimes

Author:Emma Thompson

“Tell him I mind having to look pretty, that's what I mind, because it is so much more of an effort.”

Mind Looks Effort

Author:Emma Thompson

“There is that thing about not working with animals and children - I don't think that's true. Although you should never work with donkeys.”

Thinking Should Children Animal Donkey Working With Animals

Author:Emma Thompson

“And it's absolutely true that male sexual behaviour and female responses to male demands change a lot when they start communicating - and the levels of the communication that I've seen on the ground in very, very poor areas are so high and I think why don't we have that here?”

Thinking Change Poor Levels Communication Demand Areas Female Response Males Communicate Behaviour

Author:Emma Thompson

“I've a problem with the word charity because I think that NGOs, as I prefer calling them, really do take the work of moral and social responsibilities that ought to be taken on by governments.”

Thinking Problem Government Social Responsibility Moral Taken Ought Calling Charity Social Responsibility

Author:Emma Thompson

“We need men and women to sit down and talk to each other about sex honestly and openly. That would help us fight Aids so immediately. But our lack of communication is hugely problematic.”

Men Needs Helping Fighting Sex Communication Men And Women Down And Aids Honestly Hiv Lack Of Communication

Author:Emma Thompson

“During an election, it's like they're doing my job: they're going around banging the drum for their party and selling their movie. You know, it's the same thing.”

Knows Jobs Party Election Selling Banging

Author:Emma Thompson

“I don't mean being famous is a perk, because one knows that it's not necessarily a perk, but there are certain perks to being well-known and respected in one's field. Public perks. Like, I don't know, general friendliness and willingness to please, just to point out two.”

Knows Wells Mean Two Certain Known Fields Please Fame Willingness Well Known Being Famous Perks Friendliness

Author:Emma Thompson

“I hate the way market forces try to separate us out in to the appropriate demographic - basically in order to sell us things. We need to find stories that we can enjoy together, not separately.”

Way Needs Trying Stories Together Hate Order Force Enjoy I Hate Sells Appropriate Demographics

Author:Emma Thompson

“I have a nervous breakdown in the film and in one scene I get to stand at the top of the stairs waving an empty sherry bottle which is, of course, a typical scene from my daily life, so isn't much of a stretch.”

Film Courses Scene Empty Nervous Daily Life Bottles Typical Stairs Breakdown Nervous Breakdown Sherry

Author:Emma Thompson

“I have had lots of friends who've been affected by Aids and a very good friend of mine, Oscar Moore, died of Aids and I was with him in his last year quite a bit. And of course he was a man living in a very rich culture with a wealthy family who was able to afford health care.”

Men Years Care Able Lasts Culture Courses Bits Rich Mines Friends Died Very Good Aids Health Care Wealthy Affected Last Year Good Friend Oscars Hiv Lots Of Friends Very Good Friends

Author:Emma Thompson

“I think the point about ActionAid is what it's asking people to do is engage with poor people in developing countries and understand what their lives are like and understand how the way we live our lives impacts on theirs.”

People Thinking Way Country Poor Our Lives Asking Impact Developing Engagement Poor People Developing Countries

Author:Emma Thompson

“If you don't want women to do whatever they need to do then you must provide them with food, you must provide them with shelter and their basic human rights.”

Ifs Want Needs Humans Rights Human Rights Shelter Basic Human Rights

Author:Emma Thompson

“If you're actually allowing your creative part to control your writing rather than a more commercial instinct or motive, then you'll find that all sorts of interesting things will bubble up to the surface.”

Ifs Writing Interesting Creative Instinct Surface Motive Allowing Bubbles Interesting Things

Author:Emma Thompson

“It is remarkable how many misconceptions there are here about life in the developing world and I think that that knowledge gap has done a lot to contribute to the imbalance quite frankly.”

Thinking World Done Developing Remarkable Gaps Tyrants Misconception Imbalance Ending Poverty

Author:Emma Thompson

“It's not my fault that there is this gap between rich and poor, it is the fault of governments. I want a different world. One where I don't wake up thinking I'm so lucky to be able to feed my daughter.”

Thinking World Want Different Government Able Mother Poor Rich Lucky Daughter Wake Up Faults My Daughter Gaps Rich And Poor Different Worlds So Lucky

Author:Emma Thompson

“London has always been a haven for victims of cruelty, and been improved by them. Yet I can see it changing now. Outsiders are demonised, there are little bits of legislation, people are scared.”

People Littles I Can Bits Havens Little Bit Victim Scared London Cruelty Outsiders Legislation

Author:Emma Thompson

“My mother has never approved of high heels. As a result, I have never been able to walk in high heels - and they were all I ever wanted. So of course, my daughter has two pairs.”

Two Able Wanted Mother Courses Walks Results Daughter Pairs My Daughter Heels Approved High Heels

Author:Emma Thompson

“The only way you can have it all is by delegating all the running of the home to other people - which I don't ever want to do... So you do it yourself, and it takes time and energy and effort. And if you give it the time, it's profoundly enjoyable.”

People Ifs Way Want Giving Home Running Energy Effort Take Time Enjoyable Time And Energy Do It Yourself It Takes Time

Author:Emma Thompson

“The thing that influenced me most in relation to 'Nanny McPhee' were the Westerns I watched with my father. All the Spaghetti Westerns; all the Virginians; all the High Chaparrals. Because if you think about the form, it's a stranger from out of town.”

Ifs Thinking Form Father Relation Towns Stranger Spaghetti Nannies Virginians

Author:Emma Thompson

“The trouble is it's very difficult to pin-point the most important thing because Aids affects everyone in different levels of society, differently and you have to respond to it differently.”

Important Different Difficult Levels Trouble Important Things Aids Pins Hiv Different Levels

Author:Emma Thompson

“This morning, I went to wipe my hands on a tea towel, and while I was using it, it seemed like it felt a bit light. I unfolded it and realized my daughter had cut little bits out of it to make frocks for her dolls!”

Littles Hands Light Mother Felt Bits Morning Cutting Little Bit Daughter Tea My Daughter Wipe Dolls Towels

Author:Emma Thompson

“Can he love her? Can the soul really be satisfied with such polite affections? To love is to burn - to be on fire, like Juliet or Guinevere or Eloise.”

Soul Love Is Fire Affection Satisfied Polite Juliet Guinevere Eloise

Author:Emma Thompson

“I Don't Need the nicotene patch, Penny - I smoke cigarettes.”

Needs Smoke Cigarette Patches Pennies

Author:Emma Thompson

“I think books are like people, in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you most need them.”

People Thinking Needs Book Turns Reading Library

Author:Emma Thompson

“Piracy is our only option.”

Book:Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

Source: Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

“Is love a fancy or a feeling.... or a Ferrars?”

Book:Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

Source: Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

“I`ve realized that in all the great stories, even if there`s a happily-ever-after ending, there`s something sad.”

Ifs Stories Happily Ever After Ever After

Author:Emma Thompson

“There is a painful difference between the expectation of an unpleasant event and its final certainty.”

Differences Events Expectations Finals Painful Certainty Sensibility

Book:Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

Source: Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

“Marianne Dashwood looks at gray skies and sees blue. That's all very well, and it's not something you ever want entirely to lose. But you must lose a little of it; otherwise you're going to get wet.”

Want Wells Looks Littles Loses Sky Blue Gray Wet Gray Skies Marianne Dashwood

Author:Emma Thompson

“Got up this morning and could not find my glasses. Finally had to seek assistance. Kate [Winslet] found them inside a flower arrangement.”

Found Morning Flower Glasses Organized Arrangements Assistance Kate

Author:Emma Thompson

“There's an awful lot of misunderstanding here about what being poor actually means. I don't think people understand that being poor means you have to work from dawn until dusk just to survive through the day. I think there's some notion that poor people lie about all day not doing anything. It is remarkable how many misconceptions there are here about life in the developing world and I think that that knowledge gap has done a lot to contribute to the imbalance quite frankly.”

People Thinking World Mean Done Lying Poor Poverty Knowledge Notion Awful Developing Dawn Remarkable Gaps Misunderstanding Poor People Misconception Dusk Imbalance Ending Poverty People Lie

Author:Emma Thompson

“~I'm strict about manners. I think that kids have a horrible time with other people if they have bad manners.... The one thing you've got to be prepared to do as a parent is not to be liked from time to time.~”

People Ifs Thinking Kids Parent One Thing Prepared Parenting Horrible Manners Be Prepared Strict Bad Manners

Author:Emma Thompson

“I think we're creating a situation that's incredibly dangerous. There's a lot of chat at the moment about the war on terror and whilst there are many causes for acts of terrorism, what kind of society are you creating if you allow civil society in Africa to die and create millions upon millions of orphans? Where are they going to go? What kind of cults, what kind of militias, what's going to happen? The accession of violence in those countries, the possibility of that, to me is very terrifying.”

“The films I've made for children have been my hardest work, my best, because kids deserve the best.”

Children Has Beens Made Kids Film Mother Inspiring Mom Deserve Hardest Mothers Day Happy Mothers Day Deserve The Best

Author:Emma Thompson

“I want a different world. One where I don't wake up thinking I'm so lucky to be able to feed my daughter, and able to give people a clean drink of water. I don't want images of starving babies at the breast in my mind. I want that to change. And if I want that, I had better do something about it.”

“The trick is to age honestly and gracefully and make it look great, so that everyone looks forward to it.”

Looks Age Aging Honestly Tricks Ageing Aging Gracefully

Author:Emma Thompson

“I understand what it's like to come with your family, and to uproot yourself and come to another culture. You need a lot of support. People say, 'She's got her daughter; she's got her husband.' Yeah, but she hasn't got anyone else.”

People Needs Mother Culture Support Husband Daughter Yeah Our Family

Author:Emma Thompson

“Girlfriends are vital ... Maggie [Gyllenhaal] and I will always see each other when Maggie's in London or I'm here. We'll always make time to sit and catch up properly.”

Grateful London Girlfriend Making Time Maggie

Author:Emma Thompson

“It's not funny at all that we do all that advertising for children. Why is advertising for children allowed? What possible reason can there be for having those effing adverts on TV for all this crap that's made by poor people in poor countries that we sell our children who have too much?”

People Children Made Country Reason Poor Too Much Tvs Our Children Sells Advertising Crap Poor People Poor Countries Adverts

Author:Emma Thompson

“Difficult for actors to extemporise in nineteenth-century English. Except for Robert Hardy and Elizabeth Spriggs, who speak that way anyway.”

Way Actors Speak Difficult Century Nineteenth Century Hardy

Book:Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

Source: Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & Diaries

About the Author

Born: April 15, 1959
Known for: Actress
Quotes: 131

Related Topics

People Thinking Movies Ifs Filming Needs Way Writing Children Difficult

Popular Topics

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

Books & Sources

The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries: Bringing Jane Austen's Novel to FilmRelated source material

Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay & DiariesRelated source material

The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay & Diaries: Bringing Jane Austen's Novel to FilmRelated source material

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