Home > Work > My Way of Life

My Way of Life QUOTES

My Way of Life QUOTES

81 " Women are lucky, I think, because they can get so much more variety into their lives than most men can. With a little organization a woman can excel as wife, homemaker, mother, career woman, and gracious hostess, be lovely to look at and to be with—and still have time left over to be a good friend to a lot of people. And a happy friend. Of course, we all have our problems. But I don’t inflict mine on my friends. At least I try not to. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

82 " Being cheerful on the phone is part of giving. Sure, we all have our problems, but why inflict them on our friends? I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the people who call up with a cheery, happy voice—and keep it that way. People with problems seem to find that telephone irresistible. When they’re happy they just don’t think about sharing it with other people. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

83 " Squeezing the most out of life takes a little executive planning. I used to say to the children when they were growing up, “If you have twelve things to do, and twelve hours to do them in, don’t spend the first ten hours doing just one thing or you’ll find yourself in an awful mess at the end of the day. Plan. And everything will get done. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

84 " You have to live with a painting as you do with a lover. It’s that personal. You might want to change lovers. You might want to rearrange your paintings. That’s the way it should be. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

85 " My own children wouldn’t think of dropping in without calling to see if I’m busy. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

86 " In many marriages it can be the woman’s privilege to bring new interests into her husband’s life. A man can become completely absorbed in business, or he may have had to neglect other things in the struggle to get ahead. Get him interested in the new book you’ve brought home—a good one! Hang some good reproductions on the walls or, if your taste is sure, find interesting originals. Buy some good recordings and just let them seep in. Grown men don’t like the feeling that they’re being taught, but things can filter in. Finally, enjoying something first-rate together is the most satisfying experience anyone can have—be it sex or a symphony, it’s good and it’s shared. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

87 " I loved being a good wife because making a man happy was the best working definition of happiness for me. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

88 " Conquering fears, whatever they may be, opens life up—and this life should be as full of different experiences as we can make it. Too many women build fences around themselves, especially as they grow older. They limit themselves, or feel that life has limited them. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

89 " My dresses always go into their individual plastic bags, pinned to canvas-covered wooden hangers in a special way so that they’ll hang right. (Some hangers do terrible things to the shoulder line.) "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

90 " My most important rule is: Never put anything back soiled. Things get hung up at night, but first thing in the morning I bring them out in daylight to see if there’s a water spot, a grease spot, a smudge. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

91 " We all think we have the formula for a good marriage—whether or not we’ve made it work ourselves—and I’m no exception. My recipe: Be a giver, not a taker. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

92 " A busy woman can’t spend whole days in front of mirrors, but she ought to have them all over the house (which improves the décor, too) and make a point of glancing at herself every time she passes one. It’s a form of narcissism that pays off. If you are pleased with what you see, chances are he will be, too. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

93 " People who have good taste are bound to make a mistake now and then, because they’re human, and when they do it’s a horrendous one. It’s so ugly you can’t believe it. On the other hand people who have terrible taste are bound to make a mistake and buy something exquisite—and you can’t possibly understand how that could happen! "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

94 " With taste, and a little study and ingenuity, any woman can have a perfectly lovely place. Lacking taste? Ask! Any good store will happily give you expert advice. If you can’t afford that, look—feel—observe. And your friends will be enchanted to tell you what to do. (Be sure they’re friends with beautiful homes.) "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

95 " I’ve heard of men who were permanently stymied in their careers because their wives flatly refused to leave their home towns. That’s not right. A man’s job has to come first and women have to draw on their natural adaptability. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

96 " One rule: Never let your husband see you exercising. No woman rolling around on the floor looks really adorable after she’s passed her third birthday. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

97 " Regular exercise, all alone, can be boring. If you just can’t schedule it for yourself, organize a little neighborhood club. Get all those pleasingly-plump pals together regularly at a certain hour on certain days of the week—and compete. Competition is often just the stimulus you need. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

98 " The best parties are a wild mixture. Take some corporation presidents, add a few lovely young actresses, a bearded painter, a professional jockey, your visiting friends from Brussels, a politician, a hairdresser, and a professor of physics, toss them all together, and try to get them to stop talking long enough to eat! It’s especially important to have all age groups. I’ve never noticed any generation gap. Of course I wouldn’t want to have hippies come crawling in with unwashed feet, but all the younger people I know are bright and attractive and have something to say. They also dress like human beings. They love to listen, too. They make wonderful guests. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

99 " I’ve heard of women who started beauty parlors in a spare room, or thrift shops, or who took courses to become real-estate brokers. Others have special talents or college training that they can put to use on a part-time basis. Any woman can start a childcare center. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life

100 " Once we demanded two chickens in every pot, then two cars in every garage. Now families want two homes—one a retreat for weekends and vacations—and maybe a boat or an airplane. So it follows that they need two pay checks. "

― Joan Crawford , My Way of Life