There are likewise three kinds of dancers: first, those who consider dancing as a sort of gymnastic drill, made up of impersonal and graceful arabesques; second, those who, by concentrating their minds, lead the body into the rhythm of a desired emotion, expressing a remembered feeling or experience. And finally, there are those who convert the body into a luminous fluidity, surrendering it to the inspiration of the soul.

In every culture, in every language, there is expressive play, expressive word play; there's language use to different purposes that we would call poetry.

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race.

Any actor who judges his character is a fool - for every role you play you've got to absorb that character's motives and justifications.

It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.

My wife Martha used to call me Ol' Lemon Face because of my facial contortions when I play Lucille. I squeeze my eyes and open my mouth, raise my eyebrows, cock my head and God knows what else. I look like I'm in torture, when in truth, I'm in ecstasy. I don't do it for show. Every fiber of my being is tingling.