Top 99 Julie Andrews Quotes

I think birth and motherhood are not things that you’re trained to do. You might have a good example in your own mum, but nobody teaches you how to be a really great mum.

I had a teacher who stressed for me the importance of diction in terms of… I want to be very careful about how I say this… in terms of supporting one’s voice when one is singing. In other words, if you hold on to your words, your voice will pull through for you when you’re singing. So be true to your vowels.

I do get a lot of gifts. I get a lot of things to sign, too. People do collect the memorabilia. Between ‘Poppins’ and ‘The Sound of Music,’ there were beautiful plates that they made, and I’ve signed a lot of them.

There’s nothing like the joy of the arts, and promoting the arts early in children is going to give them such a start in life in a way.

Like most girls, I fantasized about being some sort of a princess.

I turned down ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brody’ with Maggie Smith. I think she got the Academy Award.

A lot of films seem to go to the lowest common denominator.

Truthfully, I mostly can be as private as I want.

I think that the best way to explain that is that my mother gave me all the color and character and flare and liveliness, and my father gave me all the sanity and nature and all the things that helped me be a more rounded human being.

The arts bridge cultures; they’re good for the economy, and they’re good for fostering empathy and decency.

A lot of my life happened in great, wonderful bursts of good fortune, and then I would race to be worthy of it.

I don’t think I have the image that say, Judy Garland has, or Bette Davis.

Actually, I had a lot of good people with me – my mother’s sister did a lot of taking care of me, and I suppose I got more attention than my stepbrothers because at least I got to travel with my parents.

I was working from a very early age.

When I’ve least expected it, an enormous opportunity or stroke of luck has crossed right under my nose. So I tell everybody, if you’re passionate about what you do and you love it, do it. But do your homework. Because you’ll never know when the opportunity is going to happen.

Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.

I do wish somewhere there was a film of our stage production of ‘My Fair Lady.’

I’m the lucky lady that was asked to be in those wonderful iconic pieces.

For me, whenever I choose a song to sing, it’s about the lyric first.

If you’ve been fortunate enough to do a film that appeals to the entire family, that’s the audience that’s probably going to come back to you in something else.

Did you ever notice the color of Mary Poppins’ petticoats? They were kind of orange and apricot and red. I think she had a secret life going on there.

You take any job that comes along, and if you’re really lucky, the movie takes off.

Sometimes I’m so sweet even I can’t stand it.

I think it’s the essence of any film and any stage production – any work where you do work with other people – of course collaboration is hugely important. One does, for awhile, become family.

I was named after my two grandmothers – Julia Elizabeth.

Who would have thought that a story about a professor of phonetics would result in it being probably one of the great shows ever for musical theatre? It’s a seemingly odd subject.

I was a child prodigy who had a freak voice of something like four octaves.

I’m not very good with some of the more modern songs that have an awful lot of ‘doo wah wahs,’ if you know what I mean, because I can’t do anything with them.

I have been called a nun with a switchblade where my privacy is concerned. I think there’s a point where one says, that’s for family, that’s for me.

You’re always changing your thoughts about things.

Programs that bring the arts to young kids are always the first to be cut. It’s mind-boggling to me.

Singing has been a cherished gift, and my inability to sing has been a devastating blow.

Whenever I think of my birthplace, Walton-on-Thames, my reference first and foremost is the river. I love the smell of the river; love its history, its gentleness. I was aware of its presence from my earliest years. Its majesty centered me, calmed me, was a solace to a certain extent.

I’ve always admired gardens. My father was a great nature lover and would always take me for walks. We lived not too far away from huge rhododendron estates and azalea estates, and when they’re in bloom in England, they’re just riotous.

Much as I adore the melodies, I choose a song for what it has to say.

If you’re not educated to enjoy the arts, if you’re not taken to a concert, or you don’t hear something beautiful, you don’t know what you’re missing.

I really feel very blessed, and I don’t forget it, either; there’s an awful lot of wonderful talent in this world, and I just seem to be in the right place at the right time.

I play with my grandchildren. I tend to my garden, which I love. Of course, I love to read, and family is really what it’s all about.

I am told that the first comprehensible word I uttered as a child was ‘home.’

I’m beginning to think that I like the behind-the-scenes work as much as I do in front of the camera as I get a little bit older.

I hate the word wholesome.

I like – I actually love classical music very much.

I’ve made my pact with the Lord for the next lifetime. I would love to be a first-class musician. A super one.

If the director says you can do better, particularly in a love scene, then it is rather embarrassing.

On the whole, I think women wear too much and are to fussy. You can’t see the person for all the clutter.

‘Simeon’s Gift’ is really – it’s about a musician who – in the Middle Ages, who goes out to find his muse.

And I think as long as a song has beautiful lyrics, I’m so happy.

I am an optimistic lady.

I didn’t know other children from divorced families, and I was a bit of a lost soul for a while. Then suddenly, I was performing. And it gave me an identity.

I was a very sad little girl.

I think I’m just proudest to be the lady who was asked to play Mary Poppins. She’s such a wonderful character, and there’s so much tremendous talent out there. So I feel very lucky to be the one who got to play her.

I think any director is intimidating.

Some of my own books are being developed – one as a Broadway musical.

I had a lot of learning on my feet.

You just don’t know in life. Life knocks you about and pushes you over boundaries. But be ready. Do your homework; that’s all I can say.

The arts are usually the first thing to be cut in schools or regional programs.

I think every young girl at some point in her early life wonders what it’s like to be a princess. They like the idea of dressing up and the fun of it.

The arts need funding.

I know I probably have a lot of rage in me that I don’t show. But I’m not about to wallow in it or reveal it.

There are elements of me in the roles I’ve played in the past. But people forget that Mary Poppins was just a role, too.

Growing up in England, of course you do absorb certain ways the royals wave their hands and carry themselves.

I am a liberated woman. And I do believe if a woman does equal work she should be paid equal money. But personally I am feminine and I do like male authority to lean on.

I’m never sure one is exactly ready. You jump in, with both feet, into a very big fish pond.

I would be a fool to deny my own abilities.

I’m not very good with rap and things like that.

I love my garden. I love my privacy. I’m very fierce about it. I try not to let too many people into my home. That’s my private place.

I was always told I was not pretty enough.

I’d say just go with the flow. And I take my hat off to any mother out there who works full-time and raises a family as well. It’s hard work.

How dare one act like a diva when you have a lot of work to do and you need to find your disciplines and so on?

Broadway is a tough, tough arena for singing.

I had no education whatsoever, and my mother said, ‘Oh, you’ll get a much better education in life.’ I did to some extent, though I always wish I could have tried it.

In my life, it would probably be giving birth to my daughter. That probably is the most, the thing that moved me the most, was the most memorable, the most wonderful, the most miraculous. I think a lot of women would probably feel that way, too.

I have always wished I could learn to be a potter. I love collecting ceramics; it would be so fulfilling to create something lovely.

I’ve got a good right hook.

I’ve always seen the cup as half-full.

In my early years, I was much too ignorant and didn’t realize how desperately important it all is, how really important the lyrics are. And for me as a singer, I am a lady who takes the lyrics first.

I was lucky enough to be the lady that was asked to be Maria in the Sound Of Music, and that film was fortunate enough to be huge hit. The same with Mary Poppins. I got terribly lucky in that respect.