Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Shirley MacLaine

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Shirley MacLaine

In my big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to The Ladies of Song & Dance. These dames graced the silver screen in one incarnation or another through the decades, becoming iconic in the process. Their talent, skills, energy and dedication to their craft have ensured their place in history. Whatever tinsel town dished out? They took it on and made magic. One such inhabitant...

Shirley MacLaine.

An American treasure; though she belongs to the world.

She's worn many hats, taken on many roles, lived many lives, and... many lifetimes.

A product of Hollywood, she endured and persevered, learning what could be learned and then? Began writing her own story.

And what a story!

Through it all, she's worked non-stop, carving out a place for herself as one of the world's premiere actresses. 

Her wit and wisdom has entertained us all, as surely as every dance, every song, every performance.

The gospel according to her? 

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? The Knowledge Of Self
 

"I don't need anyone to rectify my existence. The most profound relationship we will ever have is the one with ourselves."

"I think in the end we all know that our best friend is ourselves. We are born alone and we die alone. That's the journey."
 
"I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself, and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part."
 

"I've made so many movies playing a hooker that they don't pay me in the regular way anymore. They leave it on the dresser."

"I'm an expert in hookers. I'm an expert in doormats. I'm an expert in victims. They were the best parts. And when I woke up sociologically, politically, and creatively I could no longer take those parts and look in the mirror."

 

"Technology has outstripped our knowledge of self."  

"We cannot divorce what we are producing from what we are. We create technology out of the vision we have of ourselves. If we are blind in our conception of ourselves we will create a blind technology."

"Technology has become the way Western man perceives progress. But technology itself is a reflection of how we see ourselves. If the negativity is in us, it will appear somewhere in our technology."

If My Friends Could See Me Now - Shirley MacLaine

(from the motion picture Sweet Charity)

Choreographers - Shirley MacLaine

I'm Still Here - Shirley MacLaine

(from the motion picture Postcards From The Edge)

  

And one last parting shot...

"For me, the safest place is out on a limb."

 

"Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. It's where all the fruit is."