Bea Arthur

I'm not playing a role. I'm being myself, whatever the hell that is. ”

I realised I had spent the majority of my adult life doing two characters - Maude from 1972-'79 and Dorothy from 1985-'92 - and I really didn't know what I wanted to do after 'Golden Girls.' I knew what I didn't want to do - any more sitcoms, or wait for the next great role that might never come. ”

I really feel all my adult life has been spent in that little black box. If a wonderful part on TV came along I would do it. But I don't want to do a recurring role. It would just be my luck that the thing would be successful. I'm old enough now and also secure enough financially that I really only want to do what I want to do. ”

You know, I spend most of my life turning things down. There's a lot of crap out there. ”

I've seen so many excellent actors - excellent actors - who, the minute they're told they're in a comedy, turn into God knows what - creatures from another planet! I mean they just... the voice changes, they don't look the same, it's like - it has no similarity to any living human being, do you know what I mean? ”

I suddenly realized that comedy, for me, was just being honest, and playing it for real. I've seen so many wonderful actors who turn into creatures from another planet when they're told they are supposed to be playing comedy. ”

I was very shy and withdrawn as a child, but people know me as these assertive women. They are not me. ”

I believe that you're here on Earth for a short time, and while you're here, you shouldn't forget it. ”

My dream was to become a very small blonde movie star like Ida Lupino and those other women I saw up there on the screen during the Depression. ”

But that's one of the nice things about doing a stage show, if something doesn't work out, you have the luxury of working on it over time. ”