101 Quotes by Ethel Waters

I had a probing mind and an elephant memory.

Twenty-five years is a long time for a girl to live out of a trunk, and after looking over a few houses, I fell in love with one in Southwest Los Angeles.

We show girls were forced to live in whorehouses in each town, no other accommodations being available.

What broke Mom's heart was realizing that her children knew nothing and cared nothing about the better side of life.

I don't care to dress up except when it is necessary or good for my business.

I could always open shows, perform through the middle, and close shows.

What impressed me most about New York were its huge apartment houses.

When I act I try to express the suffering or joy I've known during my lifetime.

When I first went on the stage I was 17 and under the legal age for performers.