My father died five days before I returned to New York. He was only fifty-three years old. My parents and my father's doctor had all decided it was wiser for me to go to South America than to stay home and see Papa waste away. For a long time, I felt an enormous sense of guilt about having left my father's side when he was so sick.

I think you have to take everything that looks like a blow and turn it into a triumph. This is where my energy comes from: I just won't be licked.

You see why we play so many crazy ladies. We have to be crazy to start with.

Beverly Sills Quotes