I make the woman look at the camera as a symbol of all the eyes that will see the picture I am making.

A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, the Testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being he was

A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual rather than portray them as they really were

With a woman I try to photograph her beauty; with a man I try to show his character. Once I photographed a man with a big nose (Jimmy Durante), and emphasized his nose, and he was very pleased with the picture. That could not happen with a woman. The most intelligent woman will reject a portrait if it doesn't flatter her.

Marilyn was history's most phenomenal love goddess.

Most people stiffen with self-consciousness when they pose for a photograph. Lighting and fine camera equipment are useless if the photographer cannot make them drop the mask, at least for a moment, so he can capture on his film their real, undistorted personality and character.

[Revealing character] can't be done by pushing the person into position or arranging his head at a certain angle. It must be accomplished by provoking the victim, amusing him with jokes, lulling him with silence, or asking impertinent questions which his best friend would be afraid to voice.