Jamie Lee Curtis quotes: about aging, assisting others, being sober, “yogurt work,” why she washes her own car, and more.
“We are all born worthy. Worthy of love, worthy of success.”
“So, take what’s inside you and make big, bold choices and for those who can’t speak for themselves, use bold voices and make friends and love well, bring art to this place and make the world better for the whole human race.”
“If you have creative ideas and you don’t bring them out into the world in some way before you go, that is a tragedy.”
“Exchange the words ‘have to’ with ‘get to.’ Exchange the word ‘can’t’ with ‘unwilling.'”
“I believe that life is hard. That we all are going to walk through things that are hard and challenging.”
“You can’t live a truthful life without regret.”
“Life is not supposed to be this calcified experience where you don’t change.”
“The system is only as good as the person programming it. If you don’t have the follow-through, your system is useless.”
“Recovery is an acceptance that your life is in shambles and you have to change it.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover till you’ve read the book.”
“Stay on the bus. The scenery will change. You think you’re having a bad week, but stay on the bus, because one of these days you’ll look out the window and it’ll be beautiful. I think it can apply to almost anything where you feel unhappy in that moment.”
“You just have to know that you’re gonna wake up in the morning and something is going to happen.”
“Life hinges on a couple seconds you never see coming. What you do in those seconds determines everything from then on, and you won’t know what you’re going to do until you’re there. That is my fundamental sort of living example – life is going to hinge. You have to just be aware, alive and evolved enough to be able to pivot because it’s going to pivot you. Be ready for life to hinge on you.”
“The more I like me, the less I want to pretend to be other people.”
“My mom said I was a handful. Now… I’m helpful.”
“I’m a human being who lives a flawed, contradictory life. And I have all sorts of problems and all sorts of successes.”
“I was a cheerleader in high school. And cheerleaders are really only there when your team is losing, to bring energy and support . I’ve always taken that role in whatever work I do.”
“I think the bottom line is that the older you get, you realize that really none of it matters. If you like to do the work, you do it with integrity. You are not jaded about the hustle. You are very clear.”
“I actually think there’s an incredible amount of self-knowledge that comes with getting older. I feel way better now than I did when I was 20. I’m stronger, I’m smarter in every way, I’m so much less crazy than I was then.”
“Fifty is a big corner to turn. It used to mean being put out to pasture, but it’s the opposite with me. I feel more vibrant; I’m more active than I’ve ever been. The F-word really is freedom. It’s the freedom to have dropped the rock – the rock of addiction, of family, of comparisons with other people. It’s being fit and focused and kind of furious.”
“I think happiness comes from self-acceptance. We all try different things, and we find some comfortable sense of who we are. We look at our parents and learn and grow and move on. We change.”
“I respect so much the work that so many women do, but that’s just not what I do. I have a job where I advertise yogurt that makes you poop, and people love it and tell me about their bowel movements, every day. And it’s really beautiful to be able to have done something that has some depth. It’s been amazing.”
“I’m not a prophet. I’m not a teacher. I have no degrees. My degree is from the University of Life.”
“I’m one of those people who does a lot of things. I’m lucky. I get up and I have a lot of energy. I have a great work ethic.”
“I’m a hard worker. I’m a hustler. I like to invent things, and I like elbow grease. I wash my own car – why have other people do it while I sit on a bench watching them? I want sweat equity. I want it in my mothering, I want it in my marital-ing, I want it in my family-ing, I want it in my friend-ing. You tell me you’re moving, I will show up on moving day. There will be a point where I want to relax and not worry so much about my sweat equity – when I’ve earned my rest.”
“Every job I get is because it comes my way. I don’t want anything. Because I do not want what I have not got, everything is a f*cking blessing. I have a family, I have some money in the bank, I have a sense of humor. And, I’m sober.”
“I thought, ‘F*ck yes! I get it!’ I see why people do this… because this is who I am. Writing affords you the opportunity to say what you mean. I’ve been an interpreter of others’ ideas for a very long time, and I have to take responsibility for those ideas – to invest and digest and wear them like a skin.”
“I try to go to the gym three times a week. And I have to watch what I eat. I’m a normal person.”
“I do as much charity work as I can and that my family life will allow. I do believe charity begins at home and the more we focus on our families, the better they will be.”
“Service is another way to get out of the calcification of your life. There’s a lot of personal satisfaction in being of service to other people. It’s the complete opposite of being for sale.”
“I think my capacity to change has given me tremendous happiness, because who I am today I am completely content to be.”
I barely got out of high school and I look back at my life often and go, ‘Wow, this was awesome!'”
“The only two questions that need to be asked each day are: Did I live wisely? Did I love well?”
“It’s life, on life’s terms and I’m just grateful, so, so deeply grateful.”
“Here I am. Because I’m as here as I want to be.”
