David Bailey Quotes

I never cared for fashion much, amusing little seams and witty little pleats: it was the girls I liked.

The only thing they can't teach you at art school is art.

The only thing approaching art in a movie is the script.

Rather than knowing more, I think I've got more open-minded.

I never tried to revolutionise photography; I just do what I do and keep my fingers crossed that people will like it.

Journalists never make it clear when you are joking.

I am not responsible for all the journalists in the past that have told lies.

Actors are hard to photograph because they never want to reveal who they are. You don't know if you're getting a character from a Chekhov play or a Polanski film. It depends what mood they're in.

I left school on my 15th birthday.

I was dyslexic, so I was put in the silly class at school.

I hate men who are in touch with their feminine side.

I've been used by women all my life, fortunately.

I was ten when I got my first serious beating. It was rough.

Rockers are the nicest people to photograph. They have no inhibitions.

London changes because of money. It's real estate. If they can build some offices or expensive apartments they will, it's money that changes everything in a city.

You adapt to who you're photographing.

All I could do at school was paint and draw and that was the only time I ever passed any exam. It was the only thing I ever got right at school.

I hate being so nostalgic about the Sixties.

I didn't try and do fashion pictures. I tried to do portraits of girls wearing dresses.

The Sixties was a time of breaking down class barriers, although I think class still exists today in some areas.

Fashion often starts off beautiful and becomes ugly, whereas art starts off ugly sometimes and becomes beautiful.

If you're curious, London's an amazing place.

I was a terrible father. The most I ever did for my children was to teach them chess. At least they got that.

Sometimes I still can't believe my luck.

I don't see the point of photographing trees or rocks because they're there and anyone can photograph them if they're prepared to hang around and wait for the light.

The reason I did fashion was it was the only way to get paid to do anything creative. You couldn't support yourself as an 'artist' - I hate that word. The only way you could be 'arty' was as a fashion photographer, because it still had a certain amount of integrity involved.

I was surrounded by strong women so it had never even occurred to me that women were anything other than equal to men.

I didn't know I was going to live for 50 years. It has come as a shock.

A positive attitude can really make dreams come true - it did for me.

My friends are all megalomaniacs - from Damien Hirst to Jack Nicholson - all of them.

In France they don't think I'm difficult.

My paintings are rubbish.

I love learning new techniques.

I'm never shocked, I'm not the shockable type!

I had a terrible time with feminists in the Seventies. They hated me, those women. I think they hated everything.

Fortunately I didn't get educated because if I'd got educated I'd be an educated fool now.

Being handsome wasn't much of a burden. It worked for me.

To get rich, you have to be making money while you're asleep.

You have to kind of be invisible when you photograph children, so you use a longer lens.

Anybody can be a great photographer if they zoom in enough on what they love.

I don't think my work does reflect my nationality - I don't like the idea of nationalism.

The best advice I ever got was that knowledge is power and to keep reading.

I've always been a bit flip.

I always go for simplicity.

When I die I want to go to Vogue.

It is a sign of a dull nature to occupy oneself deeply in matters that concern the body; for instance, to be over much occupied about exercise, about eating and drinking, about easing oneself, about sexual intercourse.

The skull is nature's sculpture.

It's only a few nutcases who do art for themselves, like Van Gogh.