Top 50 Miriam Margolyes Quotes

Mummy was absolutely the rock in my life. It was not that I didn’t love my father; he was such a quiet man, and she was not. She was the most vivid person I have ever known. She was accomplished and brave and fearless. She used to say to me, ‘I want you to be able to talk to anyone about anything.’

I wish I had a million in the bank. I like round figures. I am a round figure.

People seem comfortable with me. And maybe that’s got a lot to do with shows like Graham Norton. You just tell it like it is on those programs.

I love political cartoons from the 19th century, and whenever I complete a piece of acting work that I’m particularly proud of, be it a film or play, I treat myself to a picture by caricaturist James Gillray.

I’m a silly little needy person sometimes, and I crouch in a room all alone and think of all the people that I wish were with me.

I wouldn’t consider retiring to India: there are too many people, and it’s difficult walking along the pavements. I’d love to spend two or three months a year there.

What’s the difference between herpes and love? Herpes is forever.

I still miss my parents every day; I adored them. And when you have no children, friends are even more important to you.

I’ve never been someone who is cast for having a lovely figure but for whatever qualities I could possibly bring to a role, so I’m still castable.

I cannot accept violence.

I’m going to be 75 in May. How can I have lived this long and not know anything?

I was waiting for a train at Waverley Station in Edinburgh. My knee was hurting, so I asked a young man for his seat. He replied, ‘There’s one over there’. I said, ‘Please‘, and when he refused I poured my water over him.

Everything’s harder for women: harder to start, to stay employed, to run a life with a family.

I don’t like ‘comedy,’ I like ‘life,’ which has everything in it.

From my earliest days, reading was my passion, and at Cambridge, where I studied English literature, my intellectual life deepened and grew.

I am not the sort of person who divests myself of everything that came before I came to Australia. I want to take all the knowledge and experiences I gained when I was in England and put it at the service of Australia because I have to bring something to Australia – not just money but myself.

My looks have changed, but I was never beautiful, so I’m not any less beautiful now.

The curious thing is that I embraced homosexuality with as much joy and delight as I’ve embraced everything else in my life.

That’s one reason India is an attractive proposition for retiring. Servants are much more reasonable than in England. It’s not exploitation so long as you pay a proper salary.

People tend to think I’m funny and fluffy, but I can switch on a sixpence from extreme happiness to utter despair. I’m aware that doesn’t make it easy for people sometimes.

Adelaide’s charms are compelling. It’s not a huge place; the size is manageable, the traffic absurdly light.

I may have a talent for acting, but I am incapable of doing anything else.

I have to keep working because, although I have land, I’m not cash rich and don’t have the wealth of high-profile actresses – don’t say I’m an ‘actor.’ That’s a bit too modern.

I should have got thin, but I eat too much. I hate the word ‘moderation.’

The first piece of property that I bought was in Tuscany in 1973.

Being in Australia makes me happy. My partner is Australian, and my home is in Australia, and it’s ridiculous not to be Australian – it’s a logical step to take.

I don’t think people realise how important it is to have your blood pressure checked. Stroke is so sudden, so catastrophic.

My vocabulary is vast and expert, and I don’t think I overuse any word.

My feeling is that the English are naturally anti-Semitic.

My partner of 45 years is Australian, and a big part of her character is that marvellous quality of irony which Aussies possess. I relish their humour and sense of fairness.

I don’t like religion.

The main fear about growing old as an actor is not losing the looks. I never had any to speak of, and what I had I’ve still got, but losing the memory is another matter.

Anti-Semitism is a rotten thing. It’s an ignorant, stupid, horrible thing. As is anti-Muslim feeling. They have to be together.

It would be absurd to say I’m not British – you can hear it when I speak.

It’s so important that people know there was a time before the NHS. It makes them appreciate it more.

Where I think the American actor is slightly at a disadvantage is in vocal technique. I don’t think that words are their friend in the same way that English actors are used to using words: understanding about consonance and how to shade a vowel to show emotional color.

I’m not sure I approve of theatre as a university course. I think theatre’s something you do. I mean, literature is a subject; theatre is practical.

I believe Jews are compassionate people because of what we’ve suffered. We must not put that suffering onto others.

I studied English literature in university, and then I went straight into radio.

I’d have thought my particular brand of quirkiness, combined with sharp intelligence and a fine voice, would have yielded more. But it hasn’t. Yet!

I used to get into bed with my mother every morning, almost until she died, and talk about everything. She was my closest confidante always. I had no secrets from her.

As I get older, people do come up to me just to give me a hug.

My home in Adelaide was the Adina Hotel.

I have a class prejudice – against the upper class, which is foolish.

I am stopped in the street by kids and Harry Potter fans all the time.

Although my parents both liked her, they just didn’t approve of a same-sex relationship. Nowadays, people say that you must let children be what they are, but when I was growing up, the parents defined the child – and my parents had a definite vision of how they wanted me to be.

If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, I would say, ‘Lose weight.’

The American actor is much more used to being physically relaxed and using their bodies better, and English actors are a little bit unrelaxed, but they’re better at vocal technique.

I have no secrets. I decided very early on in life that the strongest position was to be completely open.

I’ve always felt that Donald Trump was a Dickensian character because he is so ridiculous. With his hair and his arrogance, he is certainly Dickensian in his absurdity.