It's shameful to admit, but it's been a bit of a lifelong affair, and I do now feel I'm as good as it gets. I'm honourable, kind, friendly, warm, intelligent, generous, and I've got a good sense of humour.
— Miriam Margolyes
I want to explore the range of emotions it is possible to feel.
I am stopped in the street by kids and Harry Potter fans all the time.
I enjoy finding the right word and giving each its full measure, its full space in a sentence.
As I get older, people do come up to me just to give me a hug.
Sydney has taken my money, Melbourne has my respect, but Adelaide has taken my heart; I shall return.
I had a very good kiss from Bob Monkhouse once. I thought, 'If I was straight, I would go for Bob.'
My mother died of a stroke in 1974, and for a long time, I blamed myself. She was utterly devastated when I told her I was a lesbian not long before.
Confidence was the backbone of my upbringing. I was an only child, so I was spoilt, loved, and given an enormous amount of confidence by my parents.
Nobody likes Jews. You can't say people like Jews. We're not popular. We're too smart to be liked. But it has been unacceptable to express anti-Semitism since the Holocaust.
I used to get into bed with my mother every morning, almost until she died, and talk about everything. She was my closest confidante always. I had no secrets from her.
I still miss my parents every day; I adored them. And when you have no children, friends are even more important to you.
If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, I would say, 'Lose weight.'
I wouldn't consider retiring to India: there are too many people, and it's difficult walking along the pavements. I'd love to spend two or three months a year there.
While researching my ancestry I have unearthed many skeletons. It would seem that I come from a long line of ne'er-do-wells, especially on my mother's side.
I think all actors get scared because we're frightened to disappoint.
I don't have a very positive attitude towards rappers.
I really have fallen in love with myself.
I'm not a comedian, but I do make people laugh. I'm good at it.
Israel is stupid for allowing people to vent their anti-Semitism.
I do say things possibly other people don't say. So I shouldn't be too surprised when they are picked up.
Adelaide's charms are compelling. It's not a huge place; the size is manageable, the traffic absurdly light.
The main fear about growing old as an actor is not losing the looks. I never had any to speak of, and what I had I've still got, but losing the memory is another matter.
Glenda Jackson called me an amateur in 1976 when we were in a play, 'The White Devil.' I've never forgiven her.
People tend to think I'm funny and fluffy, but I can switch on a sixpence from extreme happiness to utter despair. I'm aware that doesn't make it easy for people sometimes.
I'm a silly little needy person sometimes, and I crouch in a room all alone and think of all the people that I wish were with me.
My feeling is that the English are naturally anti-Semitic.
I think life is sweeter shared; and if anything were to happen to my partner, I would find it really hard without her because she's the perfect person for my life.
I'm going to be 75 in May. How can I have lived this long and not know anything?
I have a class prejudice - against the upper class, which is foolish.
Old people have a much better time in India because they're respected.
The first piece of property that I bought was in Tuscany in 1973.
The curious thing is that I embraced homosexuality with as much joy and delight as I've embraced everything else in my life.
Unfortunately, I don't know many black people.
I know that a lot of my life is spent thinking about crisps and eating crisps and hating myself for eating crisps. It's just not worth it. Or it wouldn't be if crisps weren't so delicious.
In terms of my development as an artist, playing Professor Sprout wasn't all that important because she is well within my capabilities as an actress. But in terms of marketability, it made an enormous difference.
It's really hard being old - it's horrible.
People seem comfortable with me. And maybe that's got a lot to do with shows like Graham Norton. You just tell it like it is on those programs.
My home in Adelaide was the Adina Hotel.
I have no secrets. I decided very early on in life that the strongest position was to be completely open.
My vocabulary is vast and expert, and I don't think I overuse any word.
There's a strong melancholic streak in me.
I don't like religion.
Although my parents both liked her, they just didn't approve of a same-sex relationship. Nowadays, people say that you must let children be what they are, but when I was growing up, the parents defined the child - and my parents had a definite vision of how they wanted me to be.
I don't for a second regret my closeness to them because they were wonderful, golden parents who gave me so much confidence.
I've been fat my whole life and pretended I don't mind. But I do mind. It's really stupid that I've gone on being greedy and fat.
I want a comfortable old age and to be looked after - I have arthritis - and money is a factor.
I love political cartoons from the 19th century, and whenever I complete a piece of acting work that I'm particularly proud of, be it a film or play, I treat myself to a picture by caricaturist James Gillray.
I may have a talent for acting, but I am incapable of doing anything else.
People who were gay were pitied and ridiculed by my parents - they had no modern sense of people being allowed to be who they were.
