Acting is illusion, as much illusion as magic is - and not so much a matter of being real.

[on whether he harbored any resentment at his forced retirement from the stage after he was fired by Britain's National Theater] I should be soaring away with my head tilted slightly toward the gods, feeding on the caviar of Shakespeare... An actor must act.

Autograph-hunting is the most unattractive manifestation of sex-starved curiosity.

Striving for perfection is the greatest stopper there is. You'll be afraid you can't achieve it. It's your excuse to yourself for not doing anything. Instead, strive for excellence, doing your best.

I often think that could we creep behind the actor's eyes, we would find an attic of forgotten toys and a copy of the Domesday Book.

If he was lost for a moment, he would dive straight back into its honey.

Lead the audience by the nose to the thought.