For my peculiar face, I look best when I look as though I'm not wearing make-up.
Lauren BacallRead
I'm not tough, and I never have been. I suppose over the years I've built up kind of a veneer to protect myself because I have functioned on my own for a long, long time, and I have never had a lot of flunkies preceding me to clear the way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the idea that vulnerability can lead to personal strength, developed through independence.
Lauren Bacall acknowledges that she does not consider herself tough, but instead has built a protective façade due to her long-standing independence. This illustrates the idea that her perceived toughness is merely a defense mechanism shaped by the experiences of navigating life without much assistance, highlighting the contrast between true inner softness and exterior strength.
Themes
VulnerabilityStrengthIndependenceProtectionSelf-Reliance
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about overcoming personal challenges.
More from Lauren Bacall
All quotes →I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.
Lauren BacallRead
I was this kid, and I was scared to death of all these pros around me... My head would shake, and my hands would shake, and I discovered if I kept my head down and looked up, my head would not shake, so I started to do that when I could, when it was appropriate in a scene.
Lauren BacallRead
When everything happens to you when you're so young, you're very lucky, but by the same token, you're never going to have that same feeling again. The first time anything happens to you - your first love, your first success - the second one is never the same.
Lauren BacallRead
I wasn't brought up as a society girl to go to balls and be a debutante and marry the social set and money and go to parties. No one in my family lived like that. And I never wanted to live like that. I was brought up to believe in work. I always wanted a career. Always.
Lauren BacallRead
Well, the people I've known I must say are extraordinary. When I think about some of them, I can't believe that I knew them all. And I think the reason I knew most of them at the beginning was because they were of Bogie's generation, 25 years my senior, not mine. But they were the most talented people of all.
Lauren BacallRead
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