Monday, February 23, 2009

Sammy Davis Jr.: Quotes From The Man Himself

sammy_davis_jr_

I came across a bunch of quotes from Sammy Davis Jr. I love these. I just had to share them with my pallies here. I hope you like them. I think they definitely give us a chance to check out some of what was on Sammy's mind. Let me know what you think.

A man is not complete until he has seen the baby he has made.

Alcohol gives you infinite patience for stupidity.

All I really had was my talent. Without that I wouldn't be welcome at the White House.

Being a star has made it possible for me to get insulted in places where the average Negro could never hope to go and get insulted.

Being in public with May and the children was too heavy. I was irreversibly tuned in to everyone around us.

Bogart could have been color blind. He got to know a man before he decided if he liked him or not.

During three decades, along all the highways of my youth, Frank had always been there for me.

Everything Michael Jackson does on stage is exactly right.

Fame comes with its own standard. A guy who twitches his lips is just another guy with a lip twitch - unless he's Humphrey Bogart.

I believed in Bobby Kennedy. Campaigning for him was an attempt to give back something to this country that has given me so much.

I bought a house in the Hollywood Hills and brought my grandmother from Harlem to live in it with me.

I didn't hate being 60 as much as I had 50.

I don't have many easy songs.

I go to temple a lot less than I would like because when I do, people still look at me as if they think it's a publicity stunt.

I had more clothes than I had closets, more cars than garage space, but no money.

I had traveled 10 states and played over 50 cities by the time I was 4.

I hadn't been in Vegas 20 minutes when I got word that the bookmakers were offering three to one that Frank wouldn't show for my wedding.

I have to be a star like another man has to breathe.

I saw that my image was changing or fading. One of the reasons for taking a break from clubs was to be missed-not forgotten.

I was so opposed to the war in Vietnam that I initially refused President Nixon's urgings for me to go there.

I wasn't anything special as a father. But I loved them and they knew it.

I'd learned a lot in the Army. I knew that above all things in the world I had to become so big, so strong that people and their hatred could never touch me.

If you want to get known as a singer you hire five sexy chicks and let them fight over you onstage and for the cameras. That's publicity, man.

Marilyn and I were rumored to be an item. We were friends. Nothing more. Marilyn was one of the sweetest creatures that ever lived.

May was young and beautiful, we were legally married, but she was caught in the prison of my skin.

Most orgies that you go to, I have found, most of it is sad. All that wildness, all those laughs were like the shining silver and gold paper on packages, but there was nothing inside.

My home has always been show business.

Part of show business is magic. You don't know how it happens.

Real success is not on the stage, but off the stage as a human being, and how you get along with your fellow man.

Reality is never as bad as a nightmare, as the mental tortures we inflict on ourselves.

Sober up, and you see and hear everything you'd been able to avoid hearing before.

Ten million dollars after I'd become a star I was deeply in debt.

The civil rights movement wasn't easy for anybody.

The manic pursuit of success cost me everything I could love: my wife, my three children, some friends I would have liked to grow old with.

The one thing you don't want is that stale sound when you've done a line so much you can't find a fresh approach to it. Drop it.

The success of the Rat Pack or the Clan was due to the camaraderie, the three guys who work together and kid each other and love each other.

The ultimate mystery is one's own self.

There are certain romances that belong in certain cities, in a certain atmosphere, in a certain time.

There are lines that I know are going to get a belly laugh, but after a few shows I get sick of hearing myself say them so I drop them.

There's nothing that can match Broadway for stature and dignity.

Though I love the luxury of the Waldorf Towers, room service there doesn't do soul food..

To appear on the stage drunk, to have them leave there and remember me making drunken mistakes, that was death.

We can't answer King's assassination with violence. That would be the worst tribute we could pay him.

What have I got? No looks, no money, no education. Just talent.

When Liza Minelli was a child, she used to sit on my lap and call me Uncle Sammy.

When you lose a lover it's like getting a bad haircut. It grows back in time.

With an ocean between you and your European friends, you have to keep them in your heart.

Would it be better if I'd married a Negro woman? Would they treat my child any better? Erect fewer barriers?

You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.

You can be in this business 50 years and still not know anything about it.

You don't swing where you sleep.
P.S. I hope you will check out my latest post at Celluloid Slammer. It's a video clip of Sharon Tate strutting her sexy self for Dean Martin in The Wrecking Crew. Please check it out and left me some comments there. Thanks.

24 comments:

Nancy Sinatra Fan said...

Hello Keith. These are great quotes from Sammy Davis Jr. Thank you for posting them. I did enjoy reading what he had to say.

Keith said...

Thanks Phoebe. I'm glad you liked them. I thought they were pretty cool when I found them. I definitely wanted to post them up here.

dino martin peters said...

Hey pallie Keith, thanks for sharin'...very interestin'...kept expectin' to find a quotation that mentioned our Dino since likes we all know that our great man was much more loyal to the Sam then the frankie....

Keith said...

Hey pallie DMP. Thanks for the comments. Glad you liked these quotes. I do wish there would have been at least one quote about Dino. I'm sure Sammy said some things about him during his lifetime. Cheers!

Mondo said...

Great collection of quotes Keith..

Have you checked out his UK buddy Bruce Forsyth? Bruce's been a star over here since the 50s but only ever TV level not movie, and is an entertainment all rounder. Sammy and Bruce really hit it off years ago, and they would regularly do song and dance routines on Bruce's TV shows ..he's still around and still presenting TV shows today..

Keith said...

Hey Dave. Thanks for the comments. No, I had never checked out Bruce before. Wow! He sounds cool though. I'll definitely have to look into him. Thanks for filling me in about him. Cheers!

FilmFather said...

Thanks for these, Keith. One of my favorite Sammy quotes was from the book In Black and White, where Sammy was talking about generously spending large amounts of money on children (not sure if he meant his own):

"If the kid wants milk, I'm buying him a cow."

Speaking of books, I just started reading Deconstructing Sammy over the weekend. Will let you know what I think when I'm finished.

Keith said...

Hey FilmFather. Thanks for the comments. I appreciate them. I like that quote from Sammy. He definitely knew how to spend money. I would really love to hear how that book is. I've been wanting to get a copy of it myself. It sounds great. Cheers!

MaryMary said...

Very nice Keith... A very good insight into the man.
Thanks for posting
Mia

Unknown said...

These are great! Where did you find all of these? Some of them are ones to grow on for sure.

esther said...

i love that two choices one: commitment vs. fear.
very inspiring!
thank you.

Scott (gotankgo) said...

A+ post with some very interesting quotes from a perceptive and vibrant entertainer.

Keith said...

Hey Mia. Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed these. I thought they were great.

Keith said...

Hey Esther. Thank you. I appreciate your comments. Glad you enjoyed this post.

Keith said...

Hey Rev. I almost didn't see your comment for some reason. Sorry about that. I can't remember how I found these. I had the page they were on bookmarked for the longest time. I liked them. I thought it was a chance to see what was on Sammy's mind. Thanks for the comments.

Keith said...

Hey Scott. Thanks so much. I appreciate that. I thought it would make an interesting post.

Monique Famous said...

This was a nice post, Love Sammy Davis Jr.

Keith said...

Thanks Nique. I'm glad you liked it. Cheers!

Erma said...

Hi Keith,

These are some great quotes by Sammy. Thank you for posting them!

Keith said...

Hey Erma. Thanks. I'm really glad you enjoyed reading them.

Elizabeth Marie said...

I loved this post, how did I miss it?

Everything Michael Jackson does on stage is perfect! :)

Keith said...

Hey Elizabeth. Glad you enjoyed this post. I really liked all these quotes.

me melodia said...

so great.

Keith said...

Thanks Melodia.