Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn

21 quotes

Katharine Hepburn is an American actress whose words have traveled far beyond their original audience. Known for her headstrong independence, spirited personality, and outspokenness, she cultivated a screen persona that matched this public image, and regularly played strong-willed, sophisticated women, their words carry the weight of lived experience. 29 of Katharine Hepburn's sharpest quotes live here, spanning themes of Men, Women, Time, Marriage, and Love. As Katharine Hepburn put it: "My greatest strength is common sense. I'm really a standard brand - like Campbell's tomato soup or Baker's chocolate."

“When I started out, I didn't have any desire to be an actress or to learn how to act. I just wanted to be famous.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Famous

All Quotes by Katharine Hepburn

“As for me, prizes are nothing. My prize is my work.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Work

“Plain women know more about men than beautiful women do.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Men

“It's life isn't it? You plow ahead and make a hit. And you plow on and someone passes you. Then someone passes them. Time levels.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Time

“If you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead, get married.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Marriage

“Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Love

“It's a business you go into because your an egocentric. It's a very embarrassing profession.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Business

“I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they're good or there because they're lucky.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Art

“Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Marriage

“Only the really plain people know about love - the very fascinating ones try so hard to create an impression that they soon exhaust their talents.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Love

“Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting. And you don't do that by sitting around.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Life

“Death will be a great relief. No more interviews.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Death

“Dressing up is a bore. At a certain age, you decorate yourself to attract the opposite sex, and at a certain age, I did that. But I'm past that age.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Age

“My greatest strength is common sense. I'm really a standard brand - like Campbell's tomato soup or Baker's chocolate.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Strength

“We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Change

“If you want to give up the admiration of thousands of men for the distain of one, go ahead, get married.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Men

“I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Women

“Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and, at the same time, selling yourself.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Time

“Marriage is a series of desperate arguments people feel passionately about.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Marriage

“Life is hard. After all, it kills you.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Funny

“To keep your character intact you cannot stoop to filthy acts. It makes it easier to stoop the next time.”

— Katharine Hepburn

Time