Judy Garland quotes: listen carefully… as Dorthy dishes out advice.
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
“Behind every cloud is another cloud.”
“We cast away priceless time in dreams, born of imagination, fed upon illusion, and put to death by reality.”
“How strange when an illusion dies. It’s as though you’ve lost a child.”
“The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.”
“I can live without money, but I cannot live without love.”
“To let a fool kiss you is bad. To let a kiss fool you is worse. ‘Twas not my lips you kissed but my soul.'”
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other, and a little more loving, have a little more empathy, and maybe we’d like each other a little bit more.”
“When you get to know a lot of people, you make a great discovery. You find that no one group has a monopoly on looks, brains, goodness or anything else. It takes all the people – black and white, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant, recent immigrants and Mayflower descendants – to make up America.”
“If I’m such a legend, then why am I so lonely? Let me tell you, legends are all very well if you’ve got somebody around who loves you.”
“People think of me as a neurotic kid, full of fits and depressions, biting my fingernails to the bone, living under an eternal shadow of illness and collapse. Why do people insist on seeing an aura of tragedy around me always? My life isn’t tragic at all. I laugh a lot these days. At myself, too. Lord, if I couldn’t laugh at myself I don’t think I’d be alive.”
“I believe that the real expression of your religious beliefs is shown in the daily pattern of your life, in what you contribute to your surroundings and what you take away without infringing on the rights of other people.”
“Real religion is in your mind and heart, and can’t be judged by the number of times you go to church.”
“My father’s death was the most terrible thing that happened to me in my life.”
“My mother had a marvelous talent for mishandling money – mine.”
“I’ve always taken The Wizard of Oz very seriously, you know. I believe in the idea of the rainbow. And I’ve spent my entire life trying to get over it.”
“Time won’t stop and life won’t stand still. But I have a feeling that if I just look backward once in a while at Dorothy, if I am off beat in any way, I’ll get back on the soundtrack again.”
“As for my feelings toward ‘Over the Rainbow,’ it’s become part of my life. It is so symbolic of all dreams and wishes that I’m sure that’s why people sometimes get tears in their eyes when they hear it.”
“Am I tired of ‘Over the Rainbow?’ Listen, it’s like getting tired of breathing. The whole premise of the song is a question. A quest. At the end, it isn’t, ‘Well, I’ve found my world and I am a success and you and I will be together.’ The lyric is having little bluebirds ‘fly over the rainbow. Why, oh, why can’t I?’ It represents everyone’s wondering why things can’t be a little better.”
“My singing style really has no style, because I try to sing each number differently. I’ve always believed that if style takes precedent over the words and music, the audience get’s cheated. It’s like when people see a fine play or movie. They imagine themselves in the leading role. I want them to imagine that they’re singing – not just listening to someone else.”
“I was born at the age of 12 on an MGM lot.”
“From the time I was 13, there was a constant struggle between MGM and me – whether or not to eat, how much to eat, what to eat. I remember this more vividly than anything else about my childhood.”
“I think that I have every right to write a book. I think I’m interesting. I have perspective about me.”
“I was always lonesome. The only time I felt accepted or wanted was when I was on stage performing. I guess the stage was my only friend: the only place where I could feel comfortable. It was the only place where I felt equal and safe.”
“Audiences have kept me alive.”
“I’ve never looked through a keyhole without finding someone was looking back.”
“I’m a woman who wants to reach out and take 40 million people in her arms.”
“You know something? I’m decent! There isn’t a great deal of decency in the world, especially in our business, and I’m one of the few really decent ladies around.”
“I’ve heard how ‘difficult’ it is to be with Judy Garland. Do you know how difficult it is to be Judy Garland? And for me to live with me? I’ve had to do it – and what more unkind life can you think of than the one I’ve lived? I’m told I’m a legend. Fine. But I don’t know what that means. I certainly didn’t ask to be a legend. I was totally unprepared for it.”
“I’ve been in love with audiences all my life, and I’ve tried to please. I hope I did.”
“I think I’ve had a very nice life.”
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore… now I know we’re not in Kansas.”
“Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”
“There’s no place like home.”
Also good: Tom Hanks quotes.
