Hedy Lamarr

I was always interested in how things work.

I am a private person.

I believe in the power of the mind.

The ladder of success in Hollywood is usually a press agent, actor, director, producer, leading man; and you are a star if you sleep with each of them in that order. Crude, but true.

I'm a sworn enemy of convention. I despise the conventional in anything, even the arts.

To be a star is to own the world and all the people in it. After a taste of stardom, everything else is poverty.

I must quit marrying men who feel inferior to me. Somewhere there must be a man who could be my husband and not feel inferior.

When somebody isn't accepted by me, it's complete hate.

One director never spoke to me, not even hello in the morning. Mr. Mayer never spoke to me. One day I said, 'Mr. Mayer, why don't you ever say hello to me?' He said, 'Why should I? You're not my wife.' It was only because I wouldn't sleep with him. I didn't know anything filthy went on.

American men, as a group, seem to be interested in only two things, money and breasts. It seems a very narrow outlook.

I have never liked bargains when it came to sex.

If you use your imagination, you can look at any actress and see her nude... I hope to make you use your imagination.

Once when Louis B. Mayer insulted me I poured a glass of water over his head.

I find very often that very ugly women have really handsome men and vice versa because they don't have any competition. Sometimes handsome men have avoided me.

Men are most virile and most attractive between the ages of 35 and 55. Under 35 a man has too much to learn, and I don't have time to teach him.

People are perverse. If you show great affection to them, they'll run the other way.

My mother always called me an ugly weed, so I never was aware of anything until I was older. Plain girls should have someone telling them they are beautiful. Sometimes this works miracles.

I'm tired of this honorary stuff. I don't want to be seen as a beautiful creature. I want to be taken seriously as an actress.

I am not ashamed to say that no man I ever met was my father's equal, and I never loved any other man as much.

The brains of people are more interesting than the looks I think.