MS

Maggie Smith

113quotes
"

Maggie Smith received the BAFTA Fellowship, one of the most distinguished honours the British Academy of Film and Television Arts can bestow, in recognition of a career that took her across stage, film, and television over several decades.

Born on 28 December 1934 in Ilford, Smith was a United Kingdom citizen who worked in English throughout her career as an actor. She was educated at Oxford High School before going on to build a body of work that earned her an extraordinary range of honours. On the stage, she received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and the Society of London Theatre Special Award. In film, she collected the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Television brought further recognition, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.

Beyond the entertainment industry, Smith received the Companion of Honour, the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and the Bodley Medal. She died on 27 September 2024 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Quotes by Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith's insights on:

There's a difference between solitude and loneliness.
"
There's a difference between solitude and loneliness.
MS
Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.
"
Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.
MS
Stop searching yourself trying to understand why someone else treated you the way they did. The answer is not inside you; it’s inside them, out of reach.
"
Stop searching yourself trying to understand why someone else treated you the way they did. The answer is not inside you; it’s inside them, out of reach.
MS
It was – it’s always very nice to be somebody rather grand.
"
It was – it’s always very nice to be somebody rather grand.
MS
It is not your job to make other people comfortable with who you are.
"
It is not your job to make other people comfortable with who you are.
MS
There was nobody in the family who had ever done anything like that before. My brothers – I had two brothers. They were twins. They both became architects. They were both six years older.
"
There was nobody in the family who had ever done anything like that before. My brothers – I had two brothers. They were twins. They both became architects. They were both six years older.
MS
I’m far, far, far from that. But of course, that’s one of the joys of acting is that you can move up in the world, even if – you know, in the characters that you’re playing, even if you don’t.
"
I’m far, far, far from that. But of course, that’s one of the joys of acting is that you can move up in the world, even if – you know, in the characters that you’re playing, even if you don’t.
MS
When you get into the granny era, you’re lucky to get anything.
"
When you get into the granny era, you’re lucky to get anything.
MS
Give the present the gift of your full attention.
"
Give the present the gift of your full attention.
MS
Today I think of myself as a ‘recovering pessimist.’ I know that optimism is not at odds with wisdom. It’s quite the opposite. I think of cynicism as cool but lazy, while hope is desperately uncool – it has sweaty palms and an earnest smile on its face. What I know to be true is that one hopeful person will accomplish more than a hundred cynics. Why? Because the hopeful person will try.
"
Today I think of myself as a ‘recovering pessimist.’ I know that optimism is not at odds with wisdom. It’s quite the opposite. I think of cynicism as cool but lazy, while hope is desperately uncool – it has sweaty palms and an earnest smile on its face. What I know to be true is that one hopeful person will accomplish more than a hundred cynics. Why? Because the hopeful person will try.
MS
Showing 1 to 10 of 113 results