I often take a brand-new suit or hat and throw it up against the wall a few times to get that stiff, square newness out of it.

If we followed our own advice, we'd be successful.

The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.

I have never had anything that I can remember in the business - and that includes all the movies and the stage shows and everything - that I didn't enjoy. I didn't like some of the small-time vaudeville, because we weren't going on and getting better. Aside from that, I didn't dislike anything.

I am bit sending messages with my feet. All I ever wanted was not to come up empty. I did it for the dough and the old applause.

It's nice that all the composers have said that nobody interprets a lyric like Fred Astaire. But when it comes to selling records I was never worth anything particularly except as a collector's item.

When you have a Dancing partner, there's always gonna be a moment where the girl's gonna cry, Ginger didn't do that. But, most every other girl I've worked with have cried because they said "aah, I can't do it" and I have to go "Yes, you can, Shut up!" and they do do it.