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Kitty Kelley

Kitty Kelley Quotes

Journalist

Kitty Kelley is an American journalist renowned for her biographies of celebrities. Born on April 4, 1942, she has written several best-selling books about famous people since the 1970s, including in-depth analyses of Hollywood stars, politicians, and royalty.

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Famous Kitty Kelley Quotes

“I only choose to write about people who are alive, are extremely powerful and as such have influenced our lives. I try to go behind their constructed myths to find the humanity of the person. It takes me about four years on every book and requires hundreds of interviews so I choose people whose lives I respect and achievements are worth recording.”

People Writing Trying Years Persons Book Humanity Powerful Behinds Four Our Lives Alive Achievement Myth Interviews Take Me Four Years

Author:Kitty Kelley

“The rumors of Frank Sinatras violence and his ties to organized crime were such that journalists joked in print about me ending up in concrete boots and sleeping with the fishes if I proceeded to write his biography.”

Ifs Writing Sleep Violence Crime Fishes Journalist Ties Organized Print Boots Concrete Frank Biographies Rumor Organized Crime

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to ensure fair pay for women in the workplace. In addition, he succeeded in getting a measure passed to end discrimination against gays in the military.”

Ends Pay Military Gay Fairs Discrimination Workplace

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Kennedy was haunted by the Bay of Pigs invasion but carried the country through the Cuban Missile Crisis. He later increased the number of U.S. military advisers to South Vietnam to more than 16,000.”

Country Numbers Military Crisis South Vietnam Pigs Invasion Missiles Cuban Adviser Cuban Missile Crisis Bay Of Pigs

Author:Kitty Kelley

“A hero is someone we can admire without apology.”

Sports Hero Sorry Admire Apology Heroism Apologizing I Apologize Being Sorry Saying I'm Sorry

Author:Kitty Kelley

“It would be morally reprehensible not to tell the truth... Everything I have written has stood the test of time.”

Writing Would Be Written Tests Telling The Truth Test Of Time

Author:Kitty Kelley

“My biography of Frank Sinatra is not paean to his music but rather an illumination of the man behind the music, who once described himself as 'an 18-karat manic-depressive who lived a life of violent emotional contradictions with an over-acute capacity for sadness as well as happiness.”

Men Wells Happiness Behinds Sadness Emotional He Man Capacity Violent Contradiction Frank Biographies Illumination Manic Depressive My Biography

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I am what is known as a benched Catholic and disillusioned by the church doctrine. I believe in things the Catholic Church does not believe in: divorce being one, and a women's right to choose being another.”

Believe Doe I Believe Church Known Catholic I Believe In Divorce Doctrine Catholic Church Disillusioned Disillusion

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I have believed in the biographies I have written. I truly can tell you that they have influenced our society politically, culturally, socially.”

Written Our Society Biographies

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I tend to place my own value in spirituality rather than religiosity.”

Values Spirituality My Own

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I would love to do an unauthorized biography about Congress. It's like a secret society up there.”

Secret Congress Biographies Secret Society

Author:Kitty Kelley

“JFK used to say the bishops and the cardinals were all Republicans, but the nuns were Democrats! I sort of believe that too.”

Believe Used Republican Democrat Bishops Nun Cardinals

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Once I decide to do something, I can't have people telling me I can't. If there's a roadblock, you jump over it, walk around it, crawl under it.”

People Ifs I Can Walks Perseverance Over It Roadblock

Author:Kitty Kelley

“People forget that unauthorized does not mean untrue and authorized does not mean authentic.”

People Mean Doe Forget Untrue

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Presidents often disappoint, but first ladies rarely do.”

Firsts President Disappoint First Lady

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Studies have been done showing that there really are gender differences, that women do bring more congeniality and compromise to the table.”

Has Beens Done Differences Study Tables Gender Compromise Gender Differences Congeniality

Author:Kitty Kelley

“The difference between authorized and unauthorized biographies is the difference between riding in carriage or squatting in steerage.”

Differences Riding Biographies Carriages

Author:Kitty Kelley

“There's still time for redemption if I live long enough, don't you think?”

Ifs Thinking Long Stills Enough Redemption

Author:Kitty Kelley

“While many applauded Oprah for opening her heart to young girls in South Africa, some criticized her for not investing in the youth of America.”

Heart America Young Girl Youth South Investing Opening South Africa

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Barack Obama and Michelle Obama don't go to Georgetown. The Clintons did, indeed. And the Clintons go out and about in Washington now. They go to neighborhood restaurants.”

Clinton Barack Restaurants Neighborhood Georgetown

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Both Kennedy and Obama exuded a dash of glamour in their roles as commander-in-chief and became the darlings of Hollywood. As president, each brought to the White House a fashionable and accomplished First Lady, two adorable young children and scene-stealing pets.”

“Gay marriage has jumped out of the closet on to the front page. Everyone from the president of the U.S. to retired four-star general Colin Powell is embracing the issue, now supported by most Americans. Still, a few people, like former First Lady Laura Bush appear to be conflicted.”

People Firsts Stills Stars President Issues Four Fronts Gay Pages Former Closets Retired Gay Marriage First Lady Laura

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I admired Eugene McCarthy’s courage and although I left his Senate staff after four years to accept a job as the researcher on the editorial page of the Washington Post, I remained an admirer.”

Years Jobs Left Accepting Four Pages Posts Four Years Senate Staff Researchers Editorials Admirer

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I don't give you editorial control. I want to meet you. I want to interview everybody who's ever known you. I want to see your correspondence. I want to see your bank statements. But you will have no control over what I write. That's why I really believe in the unauthorized biography.”

Want Giving Writing Believe Known Statements Interviews Biographies Editorials Correspondence

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I was raised Irish Catholic and went to Holy Names Academy, an all-girl's private Catholic school. I loved the nuns there and I love them to this day.”

School Girl Names Holy Catholic Raised This Day Academy Nun Catholic School

Author:Kitty Kelley

“I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed that Katharine Carr Esters claims that she was 'tricked' into divulging her true feelings about Oprah and that she now denies that she revealed to me the identity of Oprah's biological father.”

Feelings Father Identity Claims Deny Disappointed True Feelings I Am Disappointed Biological Fathers

Author:Kitty Kelley

“John F. Kennedy brought style and charisma to the White House and a first family that captivated the country: a handsome, witty president, an elegant first lady, and two adorable young children.”

Firsts Children Two Country Young House President White Style Witty White House Handsome Elegant Charisma Young Children Adorable First Lady Captivated

Author:Kitty Kelley

“Most historians agree that Abraham Lincoln was the most important man to ever occupy the White House because he abolished slavery and kept the states united through a bloody civil war.”

Men Important War States House White United Agree Slavery Civil War White House Historian Bloody Abraham

Author:Kitty Kelley

About the Author

Born: April 4, 1942
Known for: Journalist
Quotes: 28

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Biographies First Lady Firsts People President Writing Believe Four House Ifs

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