Andie MacDowell quotes: on growing up with an alcoholic mother, succeeding despite humble beginnings, beauty, health, money and more.
“I think every time in your life is valuable, and you need to exist in that moment. Because if you don’t – you lose it.”
“I think sometimes we seem to obsess on negativity.”
“My biggest regret is rolling in regret. It is best to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on.”
“You can’t be perfect at everything.”
“Everybody makes mistakes. We’re human. I like positive, wholesome, intelligent, good energy. Think of 50 million things that are positive. I think we should focus on that.”
“I think it’s good to grow and keep moving.”
“I love learning, and I think that curiosity is a wonderful gift.”
“When you are authentic, you create a certain energy. People want to be around you because you are unique.”
“The thing is, we live in a contemporary world, and being able to make yourself the best person you can possible be can be difficult. But as long as you’re trying to figure it out, and you’re really looking in the right direction, everything’s going to be all right.”
“The truth is that humans have the potential to be horrific. And I think being conscious of that is important.”
“There are things I want to achieve in my life intellectually that make me feel beautiful.”
“I always say that kindness is the greatest beauty that you can have.”
“If you carry around anger and ugly emotions it will show on your face.”
“I love the idea of living a life that is completely humble and quiet.”
“I try not to take myself too seriously – I really think things over. I analyze my history and I bring it forward to make my present better.”
“Powerful women scare men. I think that when you’re mature, you are powerful. And that’s what makes you beautiful. So until we’re able to see women as beautiful because they’re strong, we’re gonna have problems.”
“As a proud spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris, I have communicated the ‘Because You’re Worth It’ message many times, and know firsthand how empowering it is to say and how empowering it feels.”
“It’s interesting now; with social media, you are actually interacting with fans.”
“I love being an advocate for women as we get older so that we can feel comfortable with ourselves. It’s all about being healthy for me now.”
“I like to work out every day. I run, walk, do machines. I’m not neurotic about food. My rule is, don’t let yourself get over a certain weight. If you gain five pounds, stop before it gets worse.”
“I think about longevity and take care of myself. I watch my interior life and well-being. And I feel good about myself.”
“My best-kept beauty secret is that no matter what you do, how well you put on your makeup, or what care you take with what you wear, if you haven’t done your work on your interior life – your mind and your thoughts – nothing will help.”
“Finding beauty as mature women in a culture that glorifies youth can be challenging but we don’t have any other choice if we want to be happy. Time is precious and cannot be wasted and there are so many aspects of maturity that are outrageously gorgeous. Don’t look back unless it is to see how far you’ve come.”
“We can sit around and go, ‘Okay, is there really a plan? Does somebody really know what’s happening? Is it all planned out?’ Because sometimes it just seems too remarkable to me… the things that have happened to me.”
“Looking back, I realize I had to grow up and be responsible at a very tender age.”
“Watching the unfolding of my mother’s demise was hard. She was an alcoholic. She’d been a schoolteacher, but kept losing her job. We ended up working at McDonald’s together when I was 16. One day I was driving her in and thinking: ‘She’s not quite sober, but I think she’s sober enough,’ and she got fired. I asked them to give the job back, but they wouldn’t, so I quit. It was her last job. When I was 17 I did an intervention with her, but it failed.”
“I came from a small town. I didn’t grow up with money. I didn’t travel and when I was modeling I started traveling all over the world.”
“The beauty myth that I’d like to debunk is that you must be young to be beautiful. Age isn’t a detriment and we don’t need to chase youth. We should all embrace every moment of our life.”
“I’m thankful for all the jobs I’ve had, and I’ve gotten to do some great parts. I don’t have any regrets. You have a lot more depth by the time you’re my age, because you’ve had to struggle. My life has not been a piece of cake. I understand what it is to have a complex life, because my life has been complex. By the time you’re my age, you see things differently and I think you have more to offer in a way.”
“Do I really need to prove anything to anybody? I don’t feel that I have to prove anything. The only thing that I have to prove is to myself: that I have value.”
“My mother taught me that you always want to show up strong for the moments that really matter with family, friends, and community. I now recognize how her strength helped shape the person I am today and the mother that I have become.”
“Having the option to be able to have a career and feel good about yourself as an individual and still be a great mother is definitely a possibility.”
“My children without a doubt are my greatest accomplishment. If I did nothing else I would feel just having and raising them would be enough. The rest is icing.”
“The number one thing that you can teach your child is to be independent. And that is because eventually that’s their greatest need. You want them to know how to take care of themselves.”
“I want to be remembered as a creative mother, for having creative energy. I hope my kids remember me and I make them laugh. I enjoy making people laugh. That’s one of my greatest joys.”
“I’ve had a great experience in the fashion business.”
“I feel like I’ve had so many successes on so many levels, even if it is just my relationships with my friends.”
“I feel really good about the things I’ve accomplished in my life.”
“I want to take some chances. I want to take risks. I want to have fun and just keep working. That’s all I really care about.”
“Find compassion and love because those are the things that feed your soul.”
“Everybody needs to laugh and have fun and feel good.”
