Explore Quotes by Kirk Douglas

I was conscious of my father's fame from the time I was 6.

God bless Dad, he came to every one of my shows. I was bad, and I had horrible stage fright. My dad was so relieved - he'd say, 'You were terrible; this kid is not going to be an actor.' Finally, I did a play and he said, 'Son - you were really good.'

I think religion has caused so much catastrophe in the world.

Virtue is not photogenic, so I liked playing bad guys. But, whenever I played a bad guy, I tried to find something good in him, and that kept my contact with the audience.

All my life, I have taken inventory at intervals. For example, when I became a movie actor and suddenly I had to deal with fame, money and playing so many roles, I lost myself. I said, 'Who am I?' And I wrote my first book to deal with that, 'The Ragman's Son.'

People are always talking about the old days. They say that the old movies were better, that the old actors were so great. But I don't think so. All I can say about the old days is that they have passed.

My children didn't have my advantages; I was born into abject poverty.

The older you get, the more awards you get. So, if you live long enough, then you get all the awards eventually.

Since my stroke, I have begun to see so many miracles all around me. I look out of the window in my room: verdant grass, silver-tipped oak leaves, tall palm trees gentle swaying as they reach to the sky, masses and masses of roses. All colors, so many shapes, exquisite fragrances.

Being seventy has its advantages. I was outspoken before, but now what have I got to keep quiet about?

My mother, we were a very poor family. When I was a kid, we would be in our little room, and there would be a knock on the door almost every night with a hobo begging for food. Even though we didn't even have enough to eat, my mother always found something to give them.

I was living in a terrible time when people were being accused of being communists, and they attacked the movie industry, especially the writers. People couldn't work if they were on the blacklist. The studios banned them. It was the most onerous period in movie history. I don't think we have ever had a period so dark as that.

When you become a star, you don't change - everyone else does.

What would my parents think about America if they arrived here today? Would they even want to come? I wonder.

Sometimes, the thing that ties you down sets you free.

Now, what does an actor who can't talk do? Wait for silent pictures to come back?

No matter how bad things are, they can always be worse. So what if my stroke left me with a speech impediment? Moses had one, and he did all right.

Love has more depth as you get older.

If I thought a man had never committed a sin in his life, I don't think I'd want to talk with him. A man with flaws is more interesting.

If I have to speak in public, I am terrified.

I never had any desire to be a film actor. I never thought I was the good-looking movie type, which I assumed they wanted.