As long as someone can make a buck off me, they're gonna do it. And as long as I can go into Hollywo...
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As long as someone can make a buck off me, they're gonna do it. And as long as I can go into Hollywood and make a movie and make a lot of money which I can use to support the struggles I'm involved with, I will.
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When I start down a path that I know is the right path, I go with all of me.
When I start down a path that I know is the right path, I go with all of me.
[on her detractors] You can't really be a fully realized, happy person if you're harboring hate - es...
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[on her detractors] You can't really be a fully realized, happy person if you're harboring hate - especially hate that's based on lies! But even hate that's based on truth, you've gotta let it go! I think some people have a hard time letting go of hate because then they'll be left with pain. And they don't know how to handle the pain. There's so much misunderstanding about the war in Vietnam, it's still a deep scar in our country's psyche. So it makes me sad when this manifests the way it does, and the people who keep it going are very sad people. I feel sorry for them.
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I try to live my third act in such a way that I won't have regrets. You never get there entirely, bu...
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I try to live my third act in such a way that I won't have regrets. You never get there entirely, but you can spend your life working at it.
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[Monster-in-Law (2005)] was the single smartest move I ever made
[Monster-in-Law (2005)] was the single smartest move I ever made
All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.
All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.
Too few people can succeed as an actress or an actor. It's a very unhappy business if you've been bi...
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Too few people can succeed as an actress or an actor. It's a very unhappy business if you've been bitten by the bug and you can't make it.
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I'm vain about loose flesh. And so I'm careful that what I wear will show off my best parts.
I'm vain about loose flesh. And so I'm careful that what I wear will show off my best parts.
[on third husband Ted Turner] For his own reasons, Ted moves laterally through life, very fast. Acro...
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[on third husband Ted Turner] For his own reasons, Ted moves laterally through life, very fast. Across his millions of acres. I wanted to go vertically. I knew if I stayed with him I'd be safe, I wouldn't need to work, and it would be interesting. But I would never be a whole person, and I wanted to be a whole person.
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I was a chameleon, the woman men wanted me to be.
I was a chameleon, the woman men wanted me to be.
Sometimes all I can do when I walk down the street, and this matters especially in New York, is look...
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Sometimes all I can do when I walk down the street, and this matters especially in New York, is look people in the eye. Especially homeless people and prostitutes. I mean, you don't see streetwalkers so much here, but I've been in cities where you run into streetwalkers. Looking them in the eye and saying "hello" I know makes a difference to that woman's life.
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It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanised such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possi...
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It hurt so many soldiers. It galvanised such hostility. It was the most horrible thing I could possibly have done. It was just thoughtless. [expressing regret at her support for the Viet Cong]
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Roger Vadim and I were too different to last. I don't mean nationality, I mean attitude. I think opp...
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Roger Vadim and I were too different to last. I don't mean nationality, I mean attitude. I think opposites only attract for a brief, intense period.
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"Acting with Laurence Harvey is like acting by yourself - only worse" - Jane Fonda on her 1962 film ...
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"Acting with Laurence Harvey is like acting by yourself - only worse" - Jane Fonda on her 1962 film Walk on the Wild Side (1962).
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[reflecting on her career slump in the mid-1970s] I can't say I was blacklisted, but I was greyliste...
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[reflecting on her career slump in the mid-1970s] I can't say I was blacklisted, but I was greylisted. Nixon (Richard Nixon) used the same tactics on me he used on people he didn't like in the '50s. He had conservative state legislators introduce measures that would condemn or ban my films or prohibit me from even entering the state. Conservative theater owners went along, and studio executives who might have shared my politics said, 'What can we do? Why take a chance?'.
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I never was a hippie! I went to India because so many friends like Mia Farrow and The Beatles were g...
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I never was a hippie! I went to India because so many friends like Mia Farrow and The Beatles were going there to discover truth. And so I went and trekked through India by myself, but instead of discovering truth, I wanted to join the Peace Corps.
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Some people don't like me very much and some people like me a whole lot. And there's almost nobody w...
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Some people don't like me very much and some people like me a whole lot. And there's almost nobody who's undecided.
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[her reaction to QVC axing a scheduled appearance to promote her self-help book "Prime Time" at behe...
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[her reaction to QVC axing a scheduled appearance to promote her self-help book "Prime Time" at behest of angry phone callers threatening to boycott the show if she were allowed on, July 2011] I am, to say the least, deeply disappointed that QVC caved to this kind of insane pressure by some well-funded and organized political extremist groups and that they did it without talking to me first. I have never shied away from talking about this as I have nothing to hide. I could have pointed out that threats of boycotts are nothing new for me and have never prevented me from having bestselling books and exercise DVDs, films, and a Broadway play. Most people don't buy into the far right lies. Many people have reached out to express how excited they were about my going onto QVC and hearing about my book. Bottom line, this has gone on far too long, this spreading of lies about me! None of it is true. NONE OF IT! I love my country. I have never done anything to hurt my country or the men and women who have fought and continue to fight for us. I do not understand what the far right stands to gain by continuing with these myths. In this case, they denied a lot of people the chance to hear about a book that can help make life better, easier and more fulfilling. I am deeply grateful for all of the support I have been getting since this happened, including from my Vietnam Veterans friends.
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The people who did you wrong or who didn't quite know how to show up, you forgive them. And forgivin...
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The people who did you wrong or who didn't quite know how to show up, you forgive them. And forgiving them allows you to forgive yourself too.
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I, a Socialist, think we should strive toward a Socialist society, all the way to Communism.
I, a Socialist, think we should strive toward a Socialist society, all the way to Communism.
Dating's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. Nor do I miss it, frankly. I feel 71 ye...
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Dating's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about. Nor do I miss it, frankly. I feel 71 years old. I do. I'm really aware of the miles that have been logged and of the life that has gone under the bridge and how it has made me grow. I'm someone who has always tried to think about what it has all meant. I'm a quester. So I feel my age. I feel grown up.
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[on the infamous photo of her posing with a Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun] The biggest lapse of judgm...
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[on the infamous photo of her posing with a Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun] The biggest lapse of judgment in my life. I don't regret going to North Vietnam. I'm glad I went. I'm glad I did everything I did, except that.
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[Why she quit acting for 15 years] When I was really, really unhappy with myself and my life, which ...
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[Why she quit acting for 15 years] When I was really, really unhappy with myself and my life, which happened in the second half of my marriage to [Tom Hayden], I just stopped. Acting became too painful. I just couldn't. All the joy leached out of it.
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As an actor you spend all your life trying to do something they put people in asylums for.
As an actor you spend all your life trying to do something they put people in asylums for.
The kind of parts that I think are the most exciting to play and are the most viable in terms of com...
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The kind of parts that I think are the most exciting to play and are the most viable in terms of communication are characters that are complex; that is, characters that are full of contradictions that can be shown, that are in motion, that are trying to deal with problems that are real to people.
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I took Klute (1971) because, in it, I expose a great deal of the oppression of women in this country...
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I took Klute (1971) because, in it, I expose a great deal of the oppression of women in this country - the system which makes women sell themselves for possessions.
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It's hard to imagine a happy ending to the US-led war in Iraq. What's it going to mean for stability...
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It's hard to imagine a happy ending to the US-led war in Iraq. What's it going to mean for stability as a nation, for terrorism, for the economy I can't imagine. I think the entire world is going to be united against us.
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Working in Hollywood does give one a certain expertise in the field of prostitution.
Working in Hollywood does give one a certain expertise in the field of prostitution.
On returning to the stage in 2009: I am not the same person I was. I really am a different person. A...
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On returning to the stage in 2009: I am not the same person I was. I really am a different person. And I feel now that I could really be better than I have ever been in acting. It felt like something I had left prematurely. I didn't complete it, and I wanted to see if I could find joy in it again. It's been 45, 46 years since I was last on Broadway, and it feels like it too, in the sense of my personal trajectory. I feel that in terms of my personal development there has been at least half a century in there. Thank God.
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I think marriage is going to go out, become obsolete. I don't think it's natural for two people to s...
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I think marriage is going to go out, become obsolete. I don't think it's natural for two people to swear to be together for the rest of their lives.
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It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.
It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.
I wanted to do a tour like I did during the Vietnam War, a tour of the country. But then Cindy Sheeh...
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I wanted to do a tour like I did during the Vietnam War, a tour of the country. But then Cindy Sheehan filled in the gap, and she is better at this than I am. I carry too much baggage.
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I'm a very brave person. I can go to North Vietnam, I can challenge my government, but I can't chall...
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I'm a very brave person. I can go to North Vietnam, I can challenge my government, but I can't challenge the man I'm with if means I'm going to end up alone.
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[on her book 'Prime Time'] I actually never lead. There's always something more first, and then I'm ...
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[on her book 'Prime Time'] I actually never lead. There's always something more first, and then I'm the cheerleader. There are many, many books about aging. Mine just covers everything that I wanted to know.
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I would have given up acting in a minute. I didn't like how it set me apart from other people.
I would have given up acting in a minute. I didn't like how it set me apart from other people.
Ted Turner needs someone to be there 100 percent of the time. He thinks that's love. It's not love. ...
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Ted Turner needs someone to be there 100 percent of the time. He thinks that's love. It's not love. It's babysitting.
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I have a fake hip, knee, thumb - more metal in me than a bionic woman, but I can still do Pilates.
I have a fake hip, knee, thumb - more metal in me than a bionic woman, but I can still do Pilates.
Aging is not what we used to think it was, where you peak at middle age. It's ascending a staircase ...
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Aging is not what we used to think it was, where you peak at middle age. It's ascending a staircase into growth, wisdom, well-being and happiness.
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If penises could do what pussies could do, they'd be on postage stamps.
If penises could do what pussies could do, they'd be on postage stamps.
People think actresses find public speaking easy, and it's not easy at all; we're used to hiding beh...
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People think actresses find public speaking easy, and it's not easy at all; we're used to hiding behind masks.
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I feel like my honesty gives people the freedom to talk about things they wouldn't otherwise.
I feel like my honesty gives people the freedom to talk about things they wouldn't otherwise.
I have used acupuncture many times in the past - to reduce fever, heal broken bones, relieve pain......
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I have used acupuncture many times in the past - to reduce fever, heal broken bones, relieve pain... it really works if the doctor is skilled. I have felt I needed to have my energy system balanced.
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When I left the West Coast I was a liberal. When I landed in New York I was a revolutionary.
When I left the West Coast I was a liberal. When I landed in New York I was a revolutionary.
To overcome bulimia, I had to teach myself to eat all over again, like a child.
To overcome bulimia, I had to teach myself to eat all over again, like a child.
When I was young I never thought I was going to make it past thirty. I thought I was going to die of...
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When I was young I never thought I was going to make it past thirty. I thought I was going to die of alcoholism and loneliness and you know that hasn't been the case... Don't give up no matter how hard it is. Try to make the best of who you are.
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I viewed my mother as a snob. Well she was a snob. Had she lived long enough I probably wouldn't hav...
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I viewed my mother as a snob. Well she was a snob. Had she lived long enough I probably wouldn't have cared for her very much, frankly. So the way I protected myself from that is, 'Okay, I don't need you'. But of course I blamed myself when she killed herself.
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It's much more important to be interested than to be interesting.
It's much more important to be interested than to be interesting.
It's easy to say that awards are silly, but they're very good reassurance for the ego.
It's easy to say that awards are silly, but they're very good reassurance for the ego.
I'll smoke pot every now and then. I cannot see a movie on pot. The number of movies I've seen think...
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I'll smoke pot every now and then. I cannot see a movie on pot. The number of movies I've seen thinking, This is probably the best I have ever seen, and then I'll see it again sober and think, What was I thinking?
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If you're ever in a situation where you're not getting served or you can't get what you need, just c...
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If you're ever in a situation where you're not getting served or you can't get what you need, just cry.
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The only time I ever saw Dad cry was when Roosevelt died.
The only time I ever saw Dad cry was when Roosevelt died.
I grew up with a deep belief that wherever our troops fought, they were on the side of the angels.
I grew up with a deep belief that wherever our troops fought, they were on the side of the angels.
It's always great to rehearse on a plane because people think you're mad.
It's always great to rehearse on a plane because people think you're mad.
Oh Henry Fonda's love of the Theater: I'm becoming obsessed with his presence in my head, because my...
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Oh Henry Fonda's love of the Theater: I'm becoming obsessed with his presence in my head, because my dad adored theater. He didn't talk much, but he would talk about how he loved the immediacy of a live audience. I was never comfortable enough in my own skin 45 years ago to be able to understand it. I just wanted to escape. And now it's like, 'Oh Dad, I wish you were here and alive, so I could say to you: "I get it! I'm finally able to experience what you were talking about."
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[Accepting her father's Oscar for On Golden Pond (1981)]: "I'll bet when he heard it just now, he sa...
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[Accepting her father's Oscar for On Golden Pond (1981)]: "I'll bet when he heard it just now, he said 'Hey ain't I lucky?' As if luck had anything to do with it".
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I was terrified when I turned 30. I was pregnant and had the mumps and Faye Dunaway was just coming ...
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I was terrified when I turned 30. I was pregnant and had the mumps and Faye Dunaway was just coming out in Bonnie and Clyde (1967). I thought, 'Oh my God, I'll never work again. I'm old!'
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I find that arduous physical labor can jump-start my thought process.
I find that arduous physical labor can jump-start my thought process.
[after having her breast implants removed] My kids are so relieved. They tell me I look normal again...
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[after having her breast implants removed] My kids are so relieved. They tell me I look normal again.
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"If you understood what Communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that one day we ...
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"If you understood what Communism was, you would hope, you would pray on your knees that one day we would become Communist." (speaking to students at the University of Michigan in 1970)
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Emotionality is really easy for me. My father always said that Fondas can cry at a good steak.
Emotionality is really easy for me. My father always said that Fondas can cry at a good steak.
