Top 117 Quotes & Sayings by Valerie Harper - Page 2

The first Broadway play I ever saw was 'The Bad Seed' by Maxwell Anderson and with Patty McCormack. 'The Bad Seed' was from an extraordinary novel by William March.

I'm basically an actress, not a comedienne, and if something comes along that appeals to me, I'll do it.

Rhoda Morgenstern gave a wonderful impetus and propulsion to my career.

Magazines airbrush everything. If you think it's an illusion, then it probably is.

I think drama and comedy are pretty much all the same, and the issue is whether or not you have a sense of humor.

On 'Rhoda,' they wanted my husband, Joe, to wear a pajama top when we were doing love scenes. They finally let him take it off as long as the audience saw him get into bed wearing pajama bottoms so they didn't think he was completely naked underneath.

I really got the 'Rhoda' flavor from studying my stepmother, Angela, who's Italian, not Jewish. There's really so little difference between the speech patterns and family attitudes of Jews and Italians in the New York area, anyway.

I think I have too little to hide to be interesting.

The disease I have is quite a rare cancer, and it is located in a limited area - a very widespread area, but narrow. So a lot can happen if the cancer starts getting really aggressive, pressing on parts of the brain and causing me to lose either my speech or my ability to think, etc.

Stop working so hard at being interesting and focus on what's outside yourself. There are universes out there that need to be explored. And, an interested person is extremely interesting.

Don't accept or be crippled by the media hype that aging is bad or shameful.

I loved working in the theater.

It can be frightening. I think, 'I don't want to go.' But I give myself room to grieve.

That's very unusual for an actor, to have gainful employment that they are secure in, that they know is going to be there year after year.

I have had a magnificent run.

The movie that really 'did it for me' was 'All About Eve.' The backstage feeling, the authenticity, the passion those people had for their lives in the theater. I must say, the movie 'All About Eve,' what a great movie! 'All About Eve' had a profound effect on my life.

At an ERA fundraiser years ago, one of my favorite buttons was the one that said, 'Every mother is a working mother.'

I think you just take each day and get the best out of it and do what you can and have fun.

My husband is the best caregiver in the world.

I really developed an early love for ballet. Like most dancers, I am still 'first' a dancer. I'm very proud of it. Once you are a dancer, the physicality never leaves you, nor does the strength. Hopefully, it keeps you like an athlete.

I've had a good run; what more can I ask for?

I know there are a whole bunch of 'Rhoda' rooters out there.

Daddy was a salesman and away a lot, always working. My mom took me to the movies on Thursday nights because it was dish night, when they gave you a free dish along with your movie ticket.

I was a dancer, but I was always a little overweight. I'd say, 'Hello, I'm Valerie Harper, and I'm overweight.' I'd say it quickly before they could... I always got called chubby. My nose was too wide; my hair was too kinky.

We have a lot of fear around death, and I thought maybe I can help somebody... I want people to be less scared.

I have had acupuncture regularly, and I engage in visualization, which is actually an actor's tool, visualizing myself kicking out the cancer, making up scenarios.

I really look at my life as blessed.

I'm now the poster child for not believing everything I'm told.

Women and young girls are constantly judging themselves by standards that aren't real.

'Incurable' is a tough word. So is 'terminal.'

I don't know a great deal about Alzheimer's - just what it does.

I am pretty heavy into causes. I'm an active Democrat, I boycott grapes, and I work for prison reform.

I've always felt very strongly about human rights for blacks, women, and gays. Our Constitution is about equality for all - that's got to mean something to all of us.

I danced in choruses from about 1959 to 1967, in 'Take Me Along,' 'Wildcat,' and 'Subways Are for Sleeping.'

I am a cancer patient, and I continue to fight with the hope that a cure may be just around the corner. I am grateful to my family, friends, loved ones, and to fans that I am in their thoughts and prayers. That support gives me great hope.

When you age, you can do all kinds of roles. You don't have to look great. You can be the mom, the aunt. You can have a small part. You're an actor.

We don't know what's around the corner.

When I wake up in the morning, I don't say, 'Oh, I have cancer. I say 'Another day. How you feeling? Good? Good.'

My mother was a Book of the Month Club devotee. I remember she always looked forward to Pearl Buck's books.

I don't wake up saying, 'Oh, I'm going to die.' It's a waste of time. It really is.

I don't see anything degrading about marriage or homemaking, but my husband and I pool the money we earn, along with the jobs around the house.

I love sitting at home. I love laying in bed watching television.

My stepmother Angela is an Italian from New York City. I based Rhoda on her and a Jewish friend named Penny Ann Green. People often said that Rhoda seemed to be Italian. That was the Angela seeping through.

Death is out there for all of us.

Anything I can give women to help them feel better about themselves, that's what I want to do.

Keep your chin up, and don't go to the funeral - mine or yours or your loved one's - until the day of the funeral because then you miss the life that you have left.

Pearl Buck was my mother's favorite author.

Don't go to the funeral until the day of the funeral - live this day.

I heard that someone asked Mother Teresa what was most important in her work. I thought she'd say the Rosary but she said, 'My nuns and I take very good care of ourselves so we can tend to the lepers and do whatever we need to assist.' If you're strong, or at least not hurting, you can inspire others.

I don’t think of dying, I think of being here now.

Don't miss your life.

However motherhood comes to you, it's a miracle.

In a one-woman show, there must be compelling material that you adore. In both of these there are conversations with you and another character. My Second City (improvisation) background comes in very handy for accent and body posture.

Life is amazing. Live it to the fullest. Stay as long as you can.

Be grateful for each moment we have and be happy, but more than anything live it fully.

Dessert doesn't count if you eat under an assumed identity.

When I was younger I'd berate myself: You're fat, you're not a good dancer, you'll never have a boyfriend. I don't sweat that kind of stuff anymore. Now every day is a miracle. I've also learned that if something is painful or upsetting, you shouldn't hide from it. You should make it part of your life instead.