Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatina
Oscar Levant
51 quotes
“It certainly will be if you are still around.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In response to Gershwin's query, "I wonder if my music will be played a hundred years from now"; as quoted in "George the Ingenuous" by Alexander Woolcott, in Cosmopolitan (November 1933); reprinted in Ch. IV: "'...A Yo…
“Tell me, George, if you had it to do all over, would you fall in love with yourself again?”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: as recounted by Levant in A Smattering of Ignorance (1940); quoted in "Books and Things" by Lewis Gannett, in The New York Herald Tribune (January 13, 1940), p. 11
“It would have been better if you had died and Gershwin had written the elegy.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1937 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Critiquing a musical tribute composed shortly after Gershwin's death (July 11, 1937) by an unnamed mutual friend recounted in The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965); and quoted in "On San Diego: You Can Bet On It" by Tom Bla…
“A symphonic conductor should reconcile himself to the realization that, regardless of his approach or temperament, the eventual result is the same — the orchestra will hate him.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1850 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In "Music in Aspic," Harper's Magazine (October 1939), an abbreviated chapter from his soon-to-be-published A Smattering of Ignorance (1940); reproduced in Gentlemen, Scholars, and Scoundrels: A Treasury of the Best of …
“I would like to have been present, if I could have my choice of all moments in music history, when Stokowski suddenly became conscious of his beautiful hands. That must have been a moment. Like stout Cortez [sic] on a peak in Darien (I know it was Balboa) he saw before him a limitless expanse, a whole uncharted sea that might be subjected to his influence, free from the encumbrance of a baton.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In "Music in Aspic," Harper's Magazine (October 1939) and A Smattering of Ignorance (1940); as quoted by Ray C. B. Brown in "Lightning Wit Plays On American Musical Scene; Oscar Levant Answers Unspoken Request for 'Info…
“Incompatibility. And besides, I think she hated me.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On why his first marriage ended in divorce, in A Smattering of Ignorance (1940); as quoted in "Oscar Levant, A Musical Know-It-All, Writes Book About Music And Himself", Life (February 5, 1940), p. 55
“This piano plays. Which is more than I can say for her.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1941 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commenting on a sour-faced society matron in Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941)
“It's not a pretty face, I grant you. But underneath its flabby exterior is an enormous lack of character.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1951 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Describing himself, in lines he contributed to An American In Paris (1951), although officially credited to Alan Jay Lerner, as told in The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965); also quoted in The Dictionary of Biographical Qu…
“The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The New Speaker's Treasury of Wit and Wisdom (1958) by Herbert Victor Prochnow, p. 322.
“I don't drink liquor. I don't like it. It makes me feel good.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm a study of a man in chaos in search of frenzy.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Time magazine (May 5, 1958).
“There is a thin line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1959 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Cleveland Amory in Celebrity Register: An Irreverent Compendium of American Quotable Notables (1959).
“Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you will find the real tinsel underneath.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Theodor Reik in Jewish Wit (1962), p. 104, also in Inquisition in Eden (1965) and Nat Shapiro Whatever It Is, I’m Against It (1984).
“My last picture for Warners was Romance on the High Seas. It was Doris Day's first picture; that was before she became a virgin.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965)
“I once said cynically of a politician, "He'll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1965), p. 13; also quoted in The Quotable Politician (2003) by William B. Whitman, p. 31.
“An epigram is only a wisecrack that's played at Carnegie Hall.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Coronet Magazine (September 1968).
“I heartily approve of her campaign to beautify America. It would be greatly improved if the First Family were kept out of sight.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On Lyndon & Lady Bird Johnson, The Unimportance of Being Oscar (1968)
“Zsa Zsa Gabor not only worships at The Golden Calf, she insists on barbecuing it for lunch.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Unimportance of Being Oscar (1968)
“Ballet is the fairies' baseball.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The difference between the Republicans and the Democrats is that the Democrats let the poor be corrupt, too.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“John O'Hara was a terrible bore as a young man—always looking for a fight, and making sure he never found one.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: as quoted by Burt Prelutsky in "Oscar the Magnificent" The Los Angeles Times (January 26, 1969), p. 468. The comment about the Democrats and the Republicans is also quoted by William B. Whitman in The Quotable Politicia…
Also quoted by: John O'Hara
“Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1972 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Time (August 28, 1972).
“He writes the kind of music you whistle on the way into the theater.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On Sigmund Romberg, as quoted by Howard Dietz in Dancing in the Dark (1974), p. 61
“If George is around, it will.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In response to a question posed by Newman Levy, as to whether Gershwin's music would still be played a hundred years hence; as quoted in Dancing in the Dark (1974), p. 61
“It's an advantage having a limited output. When George Gershwin is asked to play his repertoire, he plays all evening. I just play "Lady Play Your Mandolin" and I'm through.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Dancing in the Dark (1974), p. 61
“I envy people who drink — at least they know what to blame everything on.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Jon Winokur in The Portable Curmudgeon (1992), p. 88.
“What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by Gene Perret in On the 8th Day — God Laughed (1995), p. 95.
“I am no more humble than my talents require.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Memorable Quotations: Jewish Writers of the Past (2005) edited by Carol A. Dingle.
“I have given up reading books; I find it takes my mind off myself.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Memorable Quotations: Jewish Writers of the Past (2005) edited by Carol A. Dingle.
“I was once thrown out of a mental hospital for depressing the other patients.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Memorable Quotations: Jewish Writers of the Past (2005) edited by Carol A. Dingle.
“Once he makes up his mind, he's full of indecision.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as quoted in The Nastiest Things Ever Said about Republicans (2006) by Martin Higgins, p. 83.
“Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quip about Monroe's conversion to Judaism, on The Oscar Levant Show, as quoted in They Knew Marilyn Monroe: Famous Persons in the Life of the Hollywood Icon (2012) by Les Harding
“The other night my daughter Lorna reminisced about the time I regressed to complete infantilism. We were having dinner and tapioca pudding was served. A wild glint came into my eyes and in the presence of my wife and children I shrieked at the top of my voice, “I love this more than anything in the world!” I had to be withdrawn from tapioca pudding slowly. It was one of the few times I wasn’t committed to achieve withdrawal.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I used to speak of the lunatic fringe, I didn’t know I was going to be head of it.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Apropos of nothing, I asked [Truman] Capote, “Are you for integration?” He said, “Yes, are you for integration?” I said, “I’m for disintegration… personal disintegration.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I rated the drug Demerol over sex as the ultimate pleasure at one time. Now I don’t have access to either.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As a rule I never read bad reviews about myself because my best friends invariably tell me about them.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A psychiatrist once diagnosed my troubles as “an abdication of will.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Instant unconsciousness had been my greatest passion for ten years.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have seizures of momentary sanity.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the middle and late 50′s I was in hospitals constantly. I was committed every time I drew a breath or took an extra twelve pills–which never affected me much because I’m not suicidal.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I was in my prime, I was an egomaniac and didn’t allow my wife to buy the best sardines–the King Oscars–which bear my name. I felt there should be only one king in my house.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Ira Gershwin] said that [P.G.] Wodehouse will address a letter, stamp it and throw it out of his third-story window onto the street trusting in the good nature of passerby to pick it up and mail it.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The book should be a happy introduction to a character who, if he did not exist, could not be imagined.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: S. N. Behrman, from his introduction to Levant's first book, A Smattering of Ignorance (1940); as quoted in "'A Smattering of Ignorance' Acute As Well As Amusing" by T.H.P., in The Hartford Courant (January 14, 1940)
“Oscar would have been here at the head table—but he was feeling well.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Milton Berle, addressing a Friars Club luncheon in 1958, as quoted in "Levant: Deadly With an Epigram" by Ross McLean, in The Toronto Globe and Mail (August 11, 1984), p. D11
“I was fond of Oscar, but there was something about our twin natures which made us exchange insults. I told him that I wanted to make a date with him every day so that I would know where he was and could avoid the place.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Howard Dietz, in Dancing In the Dark (1974), p. 61
“I was on Information Please with him and afterward there was a party and idly Oscar sat down at the piano and began to play. I remember how the conversation hushed in the crowded room. The waiters stopped serving and stood, silently listening. Yet, on this TV show, he seems almost a buffoon, as if he is deliberately mocking himself, drawing a caricature of the old Levant.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) first seen 1958 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Boris Karloff, as quoted in "The TV Scene: Loved or Loathed by Mail" by Cecil Smith, in The Los Angeles Times (March 18, 1958), p. A6
“I can see him to this day. He was witty and funny, always playing himself in the movies. He smoked so many cigarettes, there was a nicotine streak on his upper lip and on his fingers between the index finger and the second one. He was a wonderful guy—but he played the piano like a sledgehammer.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mitch Miller, in "Mitch Miller Remembers," The Chicago Tribune (November 15, 1987), Sec. 13, p. 17
“It is not always possible to predict the response of a doting Jewish mother. Witness the occasion on which the late piano virtuoso Oscar Levant telephoned his mother with some important news. He had proposed to his beloved and been accepted. Replied Mother Levant: “Good, Oscar, I’m happy to hear it. But did you practice today?”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Liz Smith in The Mother Book (1978).
“About his neuroses and hypochondria, the 1920s and 1930s wit Alexander Woollcott, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, once said of him: "There isn't anything the matter with Levant that a few miracles wouldn't cure.”
Oscar Levant (1906–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Teichman, Howard, Smark Aleck, the Wit World and Life of Alexander Woollcott (William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1976), p. 170