I will not be a common man. I will stir the smooth sands of monotony.
- Peter O'Toole
Will, Common, Monotony, Stir
It's very inconvenient because every time I finish, let's say, a chapter of a book, I think I'm going to ring Richard and then realize: Oh, Christ, I've buried him. I buried him last year.
- Peter O'Toole
I Think, Very, Last Year, Chapter
I have unqualified admiration for Brad Pitt.
- Peter O'Toole
Admiration, Brad, Pitt, Unqualified
Pope Paul III was the greatest thief in the history of the church.
- Peter O'Toole
Church, Thief, Pope, III
The good parts are the people who don't make do. They're the interesting people. Lear doesn't make do.
- Peter O'Toole
Good, Interesting People, Good Parts
It's a razor's edge, a romance with an old man and a young woman.
- Peter O'Toole
Woman, Edge, Romance, Razor
If you can't do something willingly and joyfully, then don't do it.
- Peter O'Toole
You, Something, Then, Joyfully
My professional acting life, stage and screen, has brought me public support, emotional fulfillment and material comfort. It has brought me together with fine people, good companions with whom I've shared the inevitable lot of all actors: flops and hits.
- Peter O'Toole
Screen, Shared, Brought, Public Support
My dear sir, it haunted me for the rest of my life.
- Peter O'Toole
Me, Rest, My Life, Haunted
I've played farce on the stage, but I have never played any sort of comedy on the screen.
- Peter O'Toole
Comedy, Never, Stage, Farce
Where do I begin? I loved working with Kate Hepburn, which was one of the highlights of my life; Working with Richard Burton in Beckett was another great joy.
- Peter O'Toole
My Life, Which, Richard, Highlights
It's such a relief for me to sit in front of a tape recorder and not be using it to learn my lines.
- Peter O'Toole
Learn, Using, Tape Recorder, Recorder
I loved doing My Favorite Year, which was great fun, and The Ruling Class, which I made with all my chums.
- Peter O'Toole
Doing, Ruling Class, Which, Great Fun
I put steam on the table by being an actor. That is how I live. The longer I live, the more expensive it becomes. So I do my work. And I can't be immensely picky. How many beautiful scripts come in one's lifetime? I have had more than anybody, practically.
- Peter O'Toole
Lifetime, Anybody, Immensely, Scripts
The common denominator of all my friends is that they're dead.
- Peter O'Toole
Dead, Common, All My Friends, Common Denominator
My favorite food from my homeland is Guinness. My second choice in Guinness. My third choice - would have to be Guinness.
- Peter O'Toole
Third, Homeland, Would, Guinness
Writing is a kind of performing art, and I can't sit down to write unless I'm dressed. I don't mean dressed in a suit, but dressed well and comfortably and I have to be shaved and bathed.
- Peter O'Toole
Art, Kind, Performing, Shaved
I can now tell from the envelope whether or not it is a good script.
- Peter O'Toole
Now, Tell, Whether, Envelope
I was apprehensive about bringing off this Homer.
- Peter O'Toole
Off, About, Bringing, Apprehensive
I've never looked for women. When I was a teenager, perhaps.
- Peter O'Toole
Never, Perhaps, Looked, Teenager
When I work with young people, I grab energy from them by the handsful.
- Peter O'Toole
Work, Young, Young People, Grab
Public crucifixion is no fun.
- Peter O'Toole
Fun, Public, Crucifixion, No Fun
I've stopped acting, but I don't think I've finished using my voice. I could, and probably will, record the whole of Shakespeare's sonnets. They live at the side of my bed and are my constant companions.
- Peter O'Toole
Voice, Think, Bed, Companions
I'm not from the working class. I'm from the criminal class.
- Peter O'Toole
Working, Working Class, Criminal
I can make the best French toast.
- Peter O'Toole
Best, Toast, Make, French
I'm not a French singer.
- Peter O'Toole
Singer, French
Irish women are always carrying water on their heads, and always carrying their husbands home from pubs. Such things are the greatest posture-builders in the world.
- Peter O'Toole
Irish, Always, Pubs, Women Are
I had a pretty hilariously gloomy few years in the '70s.
- Peter O'Toole
Pretty, Few, Had, Gloomy
I'm Irish. That means I'm Catholic. But, truth is, now I'm a retired Christian.
- Peter O'Toole
Truth, Christian, Means, Catholic
Films were never in my budget. Didn't occur to me till much later. I hoped for a long, good life, which I've had and I'm having as an actor. I didn't expect the rest.
- Peter O'Toole
Had, Till, Hoped, Budget
I'm the most gregarious of men and love good company, but never less alone when alone.
- Peter O'Toole
Love, Never, Most, Good Company
It is time for me to chuck in the sponge. To retire from films and stage. The heart for it has gone out of me: it won't come back.
- Peter O'Toole
Back, Sponge, Films, Retire
I'm not an actor, I'm a movie star.
- Peter O'Toole
Star, Actor, Movie, Movie Star
I woke up one morning to find I was famous. I bought a white Rolls-Royce and drove down Sunset Boulevard, wearing dark specs and a white suit, waving like the Queen Mum.
- Peter O'Toole
Famous, Boulevard, Mum, One Morning
I suggest that an education and reading and facts aren't bad things on which to ponder a few notions.
- Peter O'Toole
Education, Bad, Which, Notions
No one can take Jesus away from me. There's no doubt there was a historical figure of tremendous importance, with enormous notions. Such as peace.
- Peter O'Toole
Away, Importance, Figure, Notions
I never found it easy to learn my lines. It was slog, slog, slog.
- Peter O'Toole
Learn, Never, Found, Lines
I saw a man killed in front of my eyes just before my eighth birthday.
- Peter O'Toole
Birthday, Before, Saw, Front
My plumbing is no one's business but my own.
- Peter O'Toole
Business, Own, My Own, Plumbing
A few years back I was asked if I would go and meet a director and his various acolytes, and it occurred to me halfway through the meeting that what I was doing was auditioning. And I thought, 'Well, hang on buddy. I've done half a century of this.'
- Peter O'Toole
Doing, Through, Hang, Meeting
We were in the Arabian Desert for nine months. And I was having the time of my life. It could have been an archeological expedition, a military expedition.
- Peter O'Toole
My Life, Been, Nine, Expedition
In my day England, Scotland, Wales had 80 drama schools. There are none left. So there's no training, no discipline.
- Peter O'Toole
England, Had, Wales, Scotland
Right after I left drama school, I had a job.
- Peter O'Toole
School, Drama, Left, Drama School
Acting is just being a man. Being human. Not forcing it.
- Peter O'Toole
Being Human, Being A Man, Forcing
I tell my children to avoid theatre and go into cinema and TV.
- Peter O'Toole
Children, Theatre, TV, Cinema
When I'm doing theatre, I prefer to be doing cinema. When I'm doing cinema, I prefer to be doing theatre.
- Peter O'Toole
Theatre, Doing, Prefer, Cinema
My dad went at 86. A car killed him. He was crossing the road.
- Peter O'Toole
Car, Road, Dad, Crossing
There's always a hunger, when you're young, to go from peak to peak and avoid the valleys.
- Peter O'Toole
Young, Go, Always, Hunger
A rubber neck is a necessary part of equipment.
- Peter O'Toole
Necessary, Part, Rubber, Neck
There is a legend. And to protest is daft.
- Peter O'Toole
Legend, Protest, Daft
Actors have given up their clout. Now decision making is in the hands of lighting men, designers, bankers, special-effects people. We need to cut that out and just go with the most able trained actors in the business.
- Peter O'Toole
Hands, Bankers, Cut, Lighting
No one should ever know where conduct ends and acting begins. Conduct unbecoming. That's what acting is.
- Peter O'Toole
Begins, Ever, Ends, Conduct
I'm a working stiff, baby, just like everybody else.
- Peter O'Toole
Like, Everybody, Stiff, Everybody Else
No one ever watched competitive swimming.
- Peter O'Toole
Swimming, Competitive, Ever, Watched
All the minor sports injuries you acquire over the years begin to multiply like flies when you get over 70.
- Peter O'Toole
Over, Flies, Minor, Begin
You know when you've found a part that you want to play. You know it because the part takes you over. It sits in the script waiting for you to play him.
- Peter O'Toole
Play, Over, Over It, Script
We were doing it under the most extraordinary circumstances, but the first out of the tent in the morning would be David Lean. He said to me on the very first day of shooting, Pete, this is the beginning of a great adventure.
- Peter O'Toole
Doing, Tent, Very, David
I have no memories I'm prepared to share with you.
- Peter O'Toole
You, Prepared, Share, Memories
People talk about the '60s, but they were merely a mass production of what the '50s had begun.
- Peter O'Toole
Production, Mass, Were, Merely
I love working with young people which to me is a big kick.
- Peter O'Toole
Love, Big, Which, Kick
Every three or four years, I'm hot again.
- Peter O'Toole
Hot, Again, Every, Four
Always a bridesmaid never a bride my foot!
- Peter O'Toole
Bride, Never, Always, Foot
There are only three indispensable things: the audience, the actor and the author. The rest is dross.
- Peter O'Toole
Rest, Audience, Actor, Indispensable
Omar Sharif and I spent nine months in the desert, day after day for nine months.
- Peter O'Toole
Nine, Months, Spent, Nine Months
I know nothing at all about women. They are an amazing, beautiful mystery.
- Peter O'Toole
Beautiful, Amazing, Nothing, Mystery
My own favorite is something called Rogue Male.
- Peter O'Toole
Own, Rogue, My Own, Male
I have my very own Oscar now to be with me until death us do part.
- Peter O'Toole
Death, Own, Very, Oscar
An Oscar is a symbol that is known in every corner of the world.
- Peter O'Toole
World, Symbol, Known, Oscar
The only thing I've ever been interested in teaching anyone in life is cricket.
- Peter O'Toole
Been, Ever, Anyone, Teaching
I love London.
- Peter O'Toole
Love, I Love, London
Money is always a pressure.
- Peter O'Toole
Money, Always, Pressure
If I'm not at my study by 10:00, 10:30, forget it, I can't write a word.
- Peter O'Toole
Forget, Study, Write, Word
I can't stand light. I hate weather.
- Peter O'Toole
Light, Hate, Stand, Weather
Actors have to stay optimistic. The moment we start thinking otherwise, we're dead.
- Peter O'Toole
Start, Dead, Otherwise, Optimistic
Life turned out much better than I thought. I knew after a little while that I could act.
- Peter O'Toole
Thought, Knew, Could, Turned
For me, life has either been a wake or a wedding.
- Peter O'Toole
Wedding, Been, Either, Wake
I had a son born to me when I was 50, and I thought, 'He needs someone to bowl to him.'
- Peter O'Toole
Thought, Born, Needs, Bowl
The only exercise I take is walking behind the coffins of friends who took exercise.
- Peter O'Toole
Walking, Behind, Take, Took
I wouldn't mind being a lord.
- Peter O'Toole
Mind, Being, Lord
My father was a racetrack bookie.
- Peter O'Toole
Father, Racetrack
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