Much later in life, though, Gracie made a major contribution to the opera world. She stayed out of it.

You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.

None of us kids had a middle name. We were lucky we had any name at all. By the time my mother got around to naming one, there was another on the way.

Let me get one thing straight; I'm not an authority on sex, I'm more of a fan. I think sex is nice; no family should be without it. Of course, there are other things that are just as important as sex, like uh . . . like uh . . . like . . . uh . . . well, I'll think of it later.

When I die I intend to take my music with me. I don't know what's out there, but I want to make sure it's in my key.

I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.

I find you have to take each day as it comes and be thankful for who's left and whatever you can still do.