Sally Field Quotes

To watch how lovingly your children parent their own children is to know profound achievement.

When I was born, the doctor looked at my mother and said, "Congratulations, you have an actor!"

I grew up in a show-business family, but we were working-class show business. There was nothing glamorous about it. You had great things one day and the next day, nothing.

I've had such an odd career. I always wanted to be a great actor. I wanted to be Katharine Hepburn - ish - there was a bit of nobility about her. Instead I've always felt like the mutt standing on the sidelines, panting and saying, "Me, too! How about me?" That's just part of my personality.

I didn't back into being an actor, I was born one.

It took me getting to my 50s before I could say "Whatever!" about other people's criticism, especially when it's not true.

I've never had my heart broken.

If I hadn't fought back, I might have been Gidget forever.

I always wanted to be a great actor.

I wanted to be Katharine Hepburn-ish - there was a bit of nobility about her.

I wouldnt mind having my heart broken because it would mean that I had that much feeling connected to somebody. And that would be really great.

I can't deny the fact that you like me! You like me!

I've done some good work and some not-good work.

I'm highly emotional, so I'm highly aware of humiliation.

What does the Academy Award mean? I don’t think it means much of anything.

I'm an actor. I'm trying to be the character and do what they're doing.

There's always been a shortage of roles for three-dimensional women, no matter what age. If you look at the statistics on women in film, be they behind the camera or in front of the camera, and it's pretty nauseous-making. It always has been.

We just fight our way through it. But you can't just get up and walk out without repeating the behavior over and over.

I started to repeat to myself "If I'm not where I want to be, it's because I'm not good enough... yet." Which meant it was up to me.

I came from a real working-class show business family.

I so believe that older women have tremendous value to their families, their community, their country, the world.

In reality, people are people. Age does a weird thing to your body on the outside. It makes your face fall and weird things happen all over. But inside, you're the same person you always were.

I was just lucky enough to grow up in a time when they actually had drama departments in schools.

'Forrest Gump' is filled full of moments where your heart just cheers.

There are parts of me that I feel are beautiful, but they don't have anything to do with my nose.

My last son is leaving to go to college; my grandchildren are being born. My mother is living with me.

I find that’s one of the great things about acting-you have the opportunity to stand in somebody else’s shoes. Each character faces a dilemma in her life, and as an actor you’re able to step into that character’s skin, look through her eyes. You leave transformed, a different person, because once you live a little bit of someone’s life, it changes you.

There was really a snobbery from people in film - they did not want people who had come from television. It was the poor relation of show business, and especially situation comedy.

Last year I was diagnosed with osteoporosis.

It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes.

Western Costume, and the old Universal wardrobe that is huge and they're getting rid of so much of it now, which is sad.

When you're old, you are more certain of who you are, and that may be a good thing or a bad thing.

But there isn't any second half of myself waiting to plug in and make me whole. It's there. I'm already whole.

I don't want to look old and worn, but what can you do? My real focus is being an actor. I care more about having the opportunity to play roles that I haven't played than I care if my neck looks like someone's bedroom curtains.

Like a jerk, I went to a nutritionist and I ate the most repulsive, awful things. I didn't allow myself to eat chocolate cake and french fries and cheeseburgers.

I think the first thing I did was several scenes from Romeo and Juliet.

I really like cable T.V.

I was raised to sense what someone wanted me to be and be that kind of person. It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes.

My agent said, "You aren't good enough for movies." I said, "You're fired."

You just do the best you can with what you've got... and sometimes magic strikes.

I MUST go to what desperately frightens me - the chance of failure.

There were the days when women were under contract, and they were thought of as a commodity, so they hired the best writers and a lot of them were women at the time. This was in the thirties and forties, to make product for the people who were under contract, who were their assets to the studios. But that doesn't exist anymore - and as a result, the people who are in the industry write products that interest them.

When you have kept yourself isolated, no one relates to you, you have no way of understanding actually who you are.

I don't know what happiness is. I have periods of feeling joyous and peaceful and excited about what I'm doing, but I am also frequently very sad.

The roles... the deep roles that I've gotten to play have turned my course. They've changed my life experience.

If you have the opportunity to play these characters that are three-dimensional and very deeply rooted in an emotional level, they stay with you. They lived in you anyway, the density of them. It takes a while to realize how they've influenced you.

All people want on this earth is to connect with others. Other than eating and sleeping. Human beings need to connect with other human beings. Otherwise, they lose their mind.

I never felt safe. In high school, acting is what I did to stay sane. It wasn't about showing off; it was about revealing parts of myself that I couldn't reveal anyplace else.