Hattie McDaniel Quotes

I'd rather make $700 a week playing a maid than earn $7 a day being a maid.

I did my best, and God did the rest.

A woman's gifts will make room for her.

Always remember this: There are only eighteen inches between a pat on the back and a kick in the rump.

Putting a little time aside for clean fun and good humor is very necessary to relieve the tensions of our time.

The entire race is usually judged by the actions of one man or woman

You can best fight any existing evil from the inside.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests. This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.

The only choice permitted us is either to be servants for $7 a week or to portray them for $700 per week.

Faith is the black person's federal reserve system.

I sincerely hope that I shall always be a credit to my race and the motion picture industry.

I don't belong on this earth. I always feel out of place - like a visitor.

Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn't, I'd be making $7 a week being one.

Every actor and actress is possessed of the absorbing passion to create something distinctive and unique.

What is the thing that Hollywood demands most? Sincerity. No place in the world will pay such a high price for this admirable trait

When I was little, my mother taught me how to use a fork and knife. The trouble is that Mother forget to teach me how to stop using them!

As for those grapefruit and buttermilk diets, I'll take roast chicken and dumplings.

I'm letting no man handle my bank account.

We all respect sincerity in our friends and acquaintances, but Hollywood is willing to pay for it.

I've played everything but a harp.

I'd rather play a maid than be one.

When I was 8 years old, I knew what I was going to be—an actress.

In playing the part of Mammy, I tried to make her a living, breathing character, the way she appeared to me in the book

Bob Hope, Red Skelton, and Eddie Cantor... help us keep our balance.

Playing the Mammy of Miss Leigh was just about the biggest thrill I've ever had