Gloria Vanderbilt Quotes

Powerful Gloria Vanderbilt for Daily Growth

About Gloria Vanderbilt

Gloria Vanderbilt (1924-2019) was an American heiress, artist, fashion designer, and author known for her socialite status, high-profile personal life, and creative pursuits. Born on February 20, 1924, in New York City, she was the great-great-granddaughter of shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt. Gloria's early life was marked by tragedy: at age 15 months, her mother died, and she inherited a significant portion of her father's fortune. Her father then entrusted her care to her aunt and uncle, who were later found guilty of mismanaging her finances. This tumultuous upbringing instilled in Gloria a deep appreciation for art, literature, and self-expression as a means of coping with adversity. In the 1940s, Vanderbilt attended Smith College and later the Art Students League of New York. She married three times: first to artist Peter Aitken in 1945 (the marriage ended in divorce), then to conductor Leopold Stokowski in 1945 (they divorced in 1955), and finally to Wyatt Cooper, a writer and psychiatrist, with whom she had four children. Vanderbilt's creative pursuits flourished throughout her life. She published several books, including the best-selling memoir "A Mother's Story" (1980) which detailed her complex relationship with her son, Christopher, who committed suicide in 1988. In addition to writing, Gloria was a successful fashion designer and created a line of jeans that bore her name. Throughout her life, Vanderbilt's style, wit, and resilience made her an iconic figure in American society. She passed away on June 17, 2019, at the age of 95, leaving behind a rich legacy as an artist, author, and socialite.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The more you love, the more you are hurt. But the more you love, the more you are happy."

This quote by Gloria Vanderbilt beautifully captures the inherent risks and rewards that come with love. It suggests that vulnerability in love opens us up to potential pain, yet it also brings immense joy, happiness, and fulfillment. In essence, she's saying that one cannot fully experience the depth of happiness without exposing oneself to the possibility of being hurt. Love, therefore, is a powerful force that demands courage and resilience but ultimately enriches our lives with profound emotions and connections.


"Money is not an indication of self-worth."

Gloria Vanderbilt's quote emphasizes that wealth, or money, should not be used as a gauge to measure personal worth or value. It suggests that an individual's self-worth comes from within, rather than from external factors like financial status, possessions, or social standing. This underscores the importance of focusing on personal growth, relationships, and character development in shaping one's self-perception and overall sense of worth.


"Everyone you meet has a story to tell."

Gloria Vanderbilt's quote underscores the inherent richness and depth found in every individual we encounter, as each person possesses a unique life narrative waiting to be shared or discovered. This quote serves as a reminder that beneath the surface of our interactions lies an intricate web of experiences, emotions, and memories that shape who we are. By acknowledging this, we can foster empathy, understanding, and connection in our relationships with others.


"I think there's a lot of wisdom in old things - antiques, artifacts."

This quote by Gloria Vanderbilt suggests that there is inherent value and wisdom to be found in objects that have stood the test of time, such as antiques and artifacts. These items carry with them a history and a story, providing insights into past cultures, traditions, and human experiences. By appreciating these old things, we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Additionally, the wisdom contained within these objects serves as a reminder that some lessons from the past still hold relevance today.


"The only thing that really matters is family."

This quote emphasizes the profound significance of family in one's life. According to Gloria Vanderbilt, the essence of human existence lies not in material possessions or external achievements, but rather in our relationships with those closest to us - family members who share our joys, sorrows, and formative experiences. This sentiment underscores the universal truth that love, support, and connection offered by a nurturing family can provide a solid foundation for personal growth and well-being.


The minute that you bring a unicorn into a story, you know that it's a fairy tale or a fable, because unicorns don't exist as animals. They exist as fantasy creatures.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Fantasy, Bring, Creatures, Fable

All art, from the paintings on the walls of cave dwellers to art created today, is autobiographical because it comes from the secret place in the soul where imagination resides.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Art, Cave, Created, Resides

Throughout my life I have taken detours in acting and writing, but art remains my abiding passion.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Art, My Life, Detours, Abide

I was born during an eclipse. I believe very much in astrology. If you were born on an eclipse it indicates your destiny is chaotic.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Destiny, I Was Born, Very, Chaotic

I can't bear to look at Paris Hilton and all that. I mean, it really doesn't grab me. I don't think she's interesting, and the sense of values seems sort of off-kilter.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Values, Interesting, Think, None

If you don't have a father, you don't miss it, because you don't know what it is. It was really only when I married Wyatt Cooper that I understood what it was like to have a father, because he was just an extraordinary father.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Father, Like, Really, Cooper

When anybody says, 'Why me?' Why is 'me' exempt?

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Me, Why, Anybody, Exempt

A work of fiction is conceived very much the same way as a dream occurs in the mind of a sleeper.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Mind, Same, Very, Sleeper

A work of fiction is conceived very much the same way as a dream occurs in the mind of a sleeper. But a lot of it is imagination. It's not based on real people.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Mind, Real People, Very, Sleeper

I've always believed that one woman's success can only help another woman's success.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Woman, Help, Always, Believed

Many times, working is kind of like channeling, and I really don't know what's going to fall on the page. I just did this image of a fat girl and put her on a tiny mountain peak of grass that she's walking over. It just amused me.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Over It, Put, Times, Grass

I do think all art is autobiographical, and I do think I know quite a bit about women. I don't know anything about men.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Art, Think, About, Quite A Bit

I don't like cold people at all. It makes me feel really insecure.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Me, Like, Makes, Insecure

I do spend money. I like to spend money, on houses - on furnishing houses. And I love to give presents to people. It's just in my nature to be that way. I always spent money I had. And I always spent what I made. I'm not stingy.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Love, Always, Furnishing, Stingy

I've been really very fortunate with the men I've been involved with. They've always really treated me very, very wonderfully. And whenever anything broke up, I was always the one to leave. So I think I've been really very, very lucky.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Lucky, Always, Very, Wonderfully

In mythology and palmistry, the left hand is called the dreamer because the ring finger on the left hand leads directly to the heart. I find it a very poetic idea. And that's why I only wear nail polish on my left ring finger.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Ring, Dreamer, Very, Hand

I believe in marriage and fidelity.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Marriage, Believe, Fidelity, I Believe In

And it came to me, and I knew what I had to have before my soul would rest. I wanted to belong - to belong to my mother. And in return - I wanted my mother to belong to me.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Rest, Belong, Before, Return

You must always have great, secret, big fat hopes for yourself in love and in life. The bigger, the better.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Love, Big, Always, Hopes

I do take very good care of myself, and I'm always in love. And by that I mean I have an appetite for life. I'm in love with beauty and things and people and love and being in love, and those things I think, on the inside, show on the outside.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Love, Always, Very, Care

I love to think that animals and humans and plants and fishes and trees and stars and the moon are all connected.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Love, Stars, Think, Fishes

Art brings a message into a room. It should make us perceive in a new way - either through color, form or narrative content - something we had not perceived before... and perhaps reveal something to you about yourself.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Color, Through, Reveal, Perceive

If you've never had a mother or a father, you grow up seeking something you're never going to find, ever. You seek it in love and in people and in beauty.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Love, Beauty, Grow, Seeking

I don't read anything about myself. As a child, there was something in me that was just instinctive. I want to be clear in my spirit, and I don't want to be blocked by things that get inside of you and kill you.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Myself, Want, Read, Instinctive

Everything in life is elusive.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Life, Everything, Elusive

I'm in love with beauty and things and people and love and being in love, and those things, I think, on the inside, show on the outside.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Love, Think, I Think, Outside

The fame you earn has a different taste from the fame that is forced upon you.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Fame, Taste, Forced, Earn

When I started travelling, I would go to a city and be on television and I used to get the question, 'Why do you work? If I were you, I'd just go and lie on a beach somewhere.' And I'd answer, 'Well, I wanted to make something of my life.'

- Gloria Vanderbilt

City, My Life, Why, Somewhere

The heart of another is a dark forest.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Forest, Dark, Another, Heart

In anything there has to be dark and light. There's a lot of joy in my paintings and a lot of darkness.

- Gloria Vanderbilt

Light, Joy, Lot, Paintings

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