Bea Quotes

And it's just a hunt?" Bea asked. "Just tracking the guy down, or are we going to have to do a little covering up of our own?"
Had she just told me she was willing to kill someone and cover it up? She gave me a happy smile, but that glint in her eyes told me that, yes, she'd just offered to off someone. ~ Devon Monk

I believe that you're here on Earth for a short time, and while you're here, you shouldn't forget it. ~ Bea Arthur

And if you ever become "weary of doing good" (Galatians 6:9), think of Bea. When you are tempted to think your life is insignificant, remember the little woman who took in a homeless teenager and saved his life; ask God what He wants you to do. When circumstances drag on you, weighing you down to the point you think you can't take another step, muster your courage, stay strong; keep walking. ~ Jimmy Wayne

There's a look little girls have who are adored by their fathers," Bea said. "It's that facial expression of being totally impervious to the badness of the world. If they can keep that look into their twenties, they're pretty much okay, they've got a force field around them. I don't know if Jonna ever had it. I think she's always known about the bad things. ~ Maile Meloy

I ... was not too happy to suddenly take on this public role thrust upon me. They just assumed I was the Joan of Arc of the women's movement. And I wasn't at all. It put a lot of unnecessary pressure on me. ~ Bea Arthur

Keep fighting for animals by making compassionate, cruelty-free choices every day and encouraging those around you to do the same. ~ Bea Arthur

Twelve years ago my mother gets her cataracts removed. So twelve years ago the doctor gives her these enormous sunglasses to wear to protect her eyes from the sun for 4-6 weeks after the operation ... twelve years ago. She still wears them. She thinks they're attractive. She looks like Bea Arthur as a welder. ~ Judy Gold

There is no friend like a sister / In calm or stormy weather; / To cheer one on the tedious way, / To fetch one if one goes astray, / To lift one if one totters down, / To strengthen whilst one stands.'" Bea was much struck by this. "How lovely, ~ Lauren Willig

The best fiction writers are the most believable liars... ~ Bea Cannon

Bea felt a pang in her gut: Yes, she wanted to scream, I want this more than you could possibly imagine. But the idea of saying that out loud [...] felt terrifying. Like giving voice to this secret piece of herself would allow everyone in the world to tell her just how foolish she was for wanting something so laughably out of reach. ~ Kate Stayman-London

I suddenly realized that comedy, for me, was just being honest, and playing it for real. I've seen so many wonderful actors who turn into creatures from another planet when they're told they are supposed to be playing comedy. ~ Bea Arthur

Oh, Lolita, you are my girl, as Vee was Poe's and Bea Dante's, and what little girl would not like to whirl in a circular skirt and scanties? ~ Vladimir Nabokov

But that's one of the nice things about doing a stage show, if something doesn't work out, you have the luxury of working on it over time. ~ Bea Arthur

Amelia and Poppy both glanced at their younger sister quizzically. "Do you know what we're talking about, Bea?" Amelia asked.
"Yes, of course. Merripen's in love with her. I knew it a long time ago, from the way he washed her window."
"Washed her window?" both older sisters asked at the same time.
"Yes, when we lived in the cottage at Primrose Place. Win's room had a casement window that looked out onto the big maple tree - do you remember? After the scarlet fever, when Win couldn't get out of bed for the longest time and she was too weak to hold a book, she would just lie there and watch a birds' nest on one of the tree limbs. She saw the baby swallows hatch and learn to fly. One day she complained that the window was so dirty, she could barely see through it, and it made the sky look grayish. So from then on Merripen always kept the glass spotless. Sometimes he climbed a ladder to wash the outside, and you know how afraid of heights he is. You never saw him do that?"
"No," Amelia said with difficulty, her eyes stinging. "I didn't know he did that."
"Merripen said the sky should always be blue for her," Beatrix said. "And that was when I knew he … are you crying, Poppy?"
Poppy used a napkin to dab at the corners of her eyes. "No. I just inh-haled some pepper."
"So did I," Amelia said, blowing her nose. ~ Lisa Kleypas

I wish there was something more that performers could do other than get out there and sing at benefit performances. I wish I felt that if I had an empty room I'd like to bring in someone and make it a hospice, but I'm not Mother Teresa. I can't do that. ~ Bea Arthur

The students adore your father,' a perfumed woman said to me. 'Aren't you lucky to live with such a charming man!'
'He's even more charming at home,' Mom said. 'Isn't he, Bea? He rides a unicycle through the house -'
'- even up and down the stairs,' I added.
'He juggles eggs as he makes breakfast every morning -'
'- which he serves to us in bed of course,' I said.
'- and pulls fragrant bouquets out of his ass,' Mom finished.
'He's just a joy. ~ Natalie Standiford

My idol is Bea Arthur. I really tried to follow her example. She is one of my comedy 'she-roes.' ~ Valerie Azlynn

Charles Pierce, Bea Arthur, and I were like a terrible little trio. ~ Millicent Martin

If Chess is the switch," Loretta said, "how does he turn the Fog off?"

Bea bit her lower lip. "I don't know - ask Chess."
"How would I know?" I said. "You try being a switch. ~ Joel N. Ross

refuse what you do not need; reduce what you do need; reuse what you consume; recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse; and rot (compost) the rest. ~ Bea Johnson

Writing is fun. Promoting? Not so much... ~ Bea Cannon

I'm in love with his brother." Saying this out loud to Bea felt like jumping out of an airplane - thrilling and irreversible. In that instant Livia knew her love for Blake was as real as the church walls around her. ~ Debra Anastasia

You read the Miss Bea Haven column?" She sounded pleasantly surprised, almost flattered.
"Of course not. A column where the sexiest woman on earth pleasures herself with sex toys and then writes about it? Gross. ~ Tiffany Reisz

Reducing also results in a simplified lifestyle that allows you to focus on quality versus quantity and experiences versus stuff. ~ Bea Johnson

I sat back and looked at it. It was ugly, dark, uncontrolled. Like a monster's face. Or maybe what I saw there was my own face. I couldn't quite tell. Was the face the image of something evil or the image of myself?
"Both," Bea muttered, as if I'd spoken my question out loud. "Of course, it's both. But it shouldn't be. Goodness, no. ~ Jennifer Brown

What were you thinking of just now?" he asked instead of answering my question. He walked over to the window, stood beside me and joined me looking out. We gazed across the Elbe River, marveling at the amazing and incredible beauty spread out before us in the glorious sunny early morning. Then he continued, "When we came and opened the door, your face was so intent on some sort of dream. Not a happy one I think," it was a very gentle tone, the loving nuances. I saw the look of longing in his eyes and my heart skipped a crazy beat.
I clasped my hand more firmly and gazed toward the view of the far line that marked the edge of the Elbe river of Hamburg Harbor. I was thinking about Hamburg," I told him. "Thinking about the escape they seem to offer."
"Escape?" he asked. "I would have said a prison, rather."
"That, too. It's a false escape of course. I was thinking about their dangers, too.
"Go on," he said.
Then I put my fancy into words. "I suppose I used to love the feeling of shutting out the world, of drawing a line of that water in the harbor around me and letting all the achingly familiar scenes stay outside the line. I started to cry. "It's been years, Adrian. I kept everything in my heart because that's what all was left; everything, absolutely everything. It's completely messed up and you have no idea, at all. I was left alone to mourn. ~ Bea C. Pilotin

The group parted happily for the scheduled lunch break, planning to return at 3:00 to look at some potential Yentes and Perchiks, beginning with Bea Arthur. ~ Alisa Solomon

Dear Bea - I've been wading through a pile of "Due before 3" mimeos - but now at last I know what to do with them: into the wastebasket! I'm also hep to the jargon. I know that "illustrative material" means magazine covers, "enriched curriculum" means teaching "who and whom," and that "All evaluation of students should be predicated upon initial goals and grade level expectations" means if a kid shows up, pass him. Right? ~ Bel Kaufman

What we did not truly use, need, and love had to go. This would become our motto for decluttering. ~ Bea Johnson

Alarmingly, though, on top of the bookcase there is also a family portrait of Bea with two just-as-striking blond-and-blue-eyed sisters and a pair of handsome proud Nordic parents, whose stares make me aware of the vast age difference between Bea and me, and I am profoundly ashamed to be here buying drugs in this girl's apartment. What I'd really like to do, I think, is lie down on this couch and take a nap. ~ Jess Walter

Norman picked up a sketch, glanced at it, then put it back down on the table. "I saw Bea Williamson this morning," he said in a low voice. "Lurking about looking for cut glass."
"Oh, of course," Mira said with a sigh. "Did she have it with her?"
Norman nodded solemnly. "Yep. I swear, I think it's almost gotten ... bigger."
Mira shook her head. "Not possible."
"I'm serious," Norman said. "It's way big."
I kept waiting for someone to expand on this, but since neither of them seemed about to, I asked, "What are you talking about?"
They looked at each other.
Then, Mira took a breath. "Bea Williamson's baby," she said quietly, as if someone could hear us, "has the biggest head you have ever seen."
Norman nodded, seconding this.
"A baby?" I said.
"A big-headed baby," Mira corrected me. "You should see the cranium on this kid. It's mind-boggling. ~ Sarah Dessen

I see your young man has accompanied you today." Bea accepted Livia's hug with a gentle pat.
"He has. I'm so glad he gets to meet you." Livia held Bea's soft, delicate hand.
"I've noticed he always has his body angled toward yours," Bea reported seriously. "It's a good sign, my dear. I do believe you've found yourself a winner." She smiled. ~ Debra Anastasia

Fans are to be greatly appreciated because without them, you're pretty much writing only for yourself. ~ Bea Cannon

It has always been my opinion," Bea said musingly, "that there can be worse kinds of infidelity than the merely sexual. I'm a simple woman with a very simple outlook on life. I've always found that things work out best if you keep to certain simple rules. Right down the line. And one of the first rules for a successful marriage is loyalty to your partner. Total loyalty. ~ Emma Darcy

Molly Bea, she of the hard white breasts lightly dusted with golden freckles, would never be so humiliated by life because she could never become as deeply involved in the meaty toughness of life. She would never be victimized by her own illusions because they were not essential to her. She could always find new ones when the old ones wore out. But Cathy was stuck with hers. The illusion of love, magically changed to a memory of shame. ~ John D. MacDonald

Bea is the only good thing I've ever done in my life,' he said. 'Take care of her for me.'
My father went with him to the door and watched him walk away down Calle Santa Ana, with that sadness that softens men who are aware that they are growing old together. ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon

What the hell?" I muttered. Then I realized it was Jack Quinn's car. Jack was a Hound and Bea's boyfriend. The left blinker flashed on for just a second, and then Jack drove at speed again.
"Zayvion, I'm sorry to tell you I think I have a crush on another man."
"Who is this unfortunate and soon-to-be-dead fool?" he asked.
"Jack. That's his car. He must have been waiting for us, or maybe he followed us."
"Jack Quinn has been following us?" Shame said.
"And now he's taking us to Collins, I think."
"Or a trap," Shame said.
"He's a Hound, Shame."
"My statement stands."
"You still don't get it, do you?" I turned left, following the car. "Hounds are loyal. Jack and Bea told me they'd help me if they could. They're not going to turn against me while I'm in trouble."
"What happens when you're not in trouble?" Shame asked.
"Don't know. It's never happened. ~ Devon Monk

I really feel all my adult life has been spent in that little black box. If a wonderful part on TV came along I would do it. But I don't want to do a recurring role. It would just be my luck that the thing would be successful. I'm old enough now and also secure enough financially that I really only want to do what I want to do. ~ Bea Arthur

Did Cap'n Vidious leave that? He is such a cuddlebunny."
"Yeah," I said, "that's exactly how I'd describe him. ~ Joel N. Ross

So damn beautiful."
She grinned. "So you've said."
Perched on his elbow, stretched alongside her body, he'd say it again and again until she tired of hearing it. "You're beautiful."
"Uh huh."
"So fucking bea-"
"All right, Casanova. Enough! ~ Pam Godwin

Doe eye sparkling in her elfin face, and a sassy hairstyle I can only dream would make me look adorable instead of mannish. She is a traditional bea.uty that time cannot diminish ~ Penelope Fletcher

I hope you know how rare a girl like Livia is."
Blake nodded, but said nothing.
"I've only met a few souls as crystal clear as hers," Bea continued. "One of them was my Aaron; we were married for sixty-two years.
Souls like that, my boy, are a gift. Cherish her."
"I will." Blake stood and gave Bea a formal bow only he could get away with. ~ Debra Anastasia

I can't imagine working without and audience. ~ Bea Arthur

Know that I love you immensely, and you hurry home. ~ Bea Weaver

PETA has a proven track record of success. Each victory PETA wins for the animals is a stepping stone upon which we build a more compassionate world for all beings - and we will never give up our fight until all animals are treated with respect and kindness. ~ Bea Arthur

Settled for a blooming redhead from Waco, Takes-us, name of Molly Bea Archer, carefully cut her out of the pack and trundled her, tipsy and willing, back to the Busted Flush. ~ John D. MacDonald

Look forward to being really in love for the first time, Bea," said Rumfoord. "Look forward to behaving aristocratically without any outward proofs of your aristocracy.Look forward to having nothing but the dignity and intelligence and tenderness that God gave you - look forward to taking those materials and nothing else, and making something exquisite with them. ~ Kurt Vonnegut

Writing is a pleasure. And a pain. Sometimes at the same time. ~ Bea Cannon

You know, I spend most of my life turning things down. There's a lot of crap out there. ~ Bea Arthur

I was raised in the theater and, as it turned out, a TV show was like performing a new one-act play. So, it was really no different. ~ Bea Arthur

(…) met the owner of this cozy book-and-candle Apt. G, a tall, leggy, striking girl named Bea or maybe just the letter B or maybe the insect Bee, not sure, her long blond hair pulled in a ponytail, her no-doubt banging body effortlessly buried beneath a pile of tights and sweaters and scarves – she is a walking coat rack – and as we shook hands, Bea fixed me with the most alarming blue-eyed stare of my life, the kind of stare in which you think some potent subliminal message is being passed along (Run away with me or maybe just Run away), (…) ~ Jess Walter

Making lasting gifts for animals in our estate plans is perhaps the single most important thing we can do to ensure animals have the strongest possible voice for their protection. ~ Bea Arthur

As Livia parked her in the lobby, Bea offered a suggestion with her gentle hug. "You might want to go back and close those church doors. Fumigating is best done in private. ~ Debra Anastasia

Sadness taught me to let someone hurt me and yet still talk beautifully about them. ~ Harlrey Biala

Writing is another form of screaming. ~ Bea C. Pilotin

You don't approve?" Joan asked, picking up on Delphine's tone.
"Their stories were for themselves, not the Mirrors."
"What do you mean?" said Bea.
"Certainly sometimes a good little character would find a lamp, and would not be so corrupted by the strangely endless possibilities of three wishes that they ended up causing more harm than they ever imagined. Those stories fostered belief, they were retold, certainly; but they were few and far between. Most of the genie's tales showed the characters exactly who they really were, not when they were despised and degraded, not when they'd reached the gutter and been given licence to look at the stars. No, the genies showed them who they were when they were invincible. The characters, they try to forget stories like that. ~ F.D. Lee

She reached for the notebook she kept in her purse. Bea found the page and read to calm and steady herself.

1. See yourself as beautiful. Flowering and giving life to the earth. This baby can't do it without you. You are important.
2. Food is your fuel. You need it in your body. It's your sustenance.
3. When you feel overwhelmed go for a walk, write down your feelings, or play your favorite songs. ~ Sadeqa Johnson

Hello, hello, hello. You're here. You're finally here. I'm Beast, though I prefer Bea. Guess what? I'm yours, and you're mine. ~ Gena Showalter

Actors don't retire; people who are in jobs they don't like retire. ~ Bea Arthur

I really cut my teeth on off-off-off Broadway shows. ~ Bea Arthur

We were married for sixty-two years before he passed," Bea said. "I still can't take a deep breath without smelling his scent." Her face filled with strength, rather than tears. "We had a good life. He always made me laugh. Loving him was a wonderful way to pass my time here. And someday we'll be together again. ~ Debra Anastasia

Many years ago, I was in a Broadway show and I had to wear a fox fur around my shoulders. One day my hand touched one of the fox's legs. It seemed to be in two pieces. Then it dawned on me ... her leg had probally been snapped in two by the steel trap that had caught it. ~ Bea Arthur

And the Golden Globe for acting cool while really wanting to run screaming from the building goes to... the corpse of Bea Alexander. ~ Jennifer Harlow

In sitcoms, the women are so beautiful, understanding and well-bred. They have humor, but sort of display it with a twinkle of the eye and not a guffaw. But there's no juice in that for me. ~ Bea Arthur

As soon as the doors were closed, Amelia went to her sister with her hands raised. At first Cam thought she intended to shake her, but instead Amelia pulled Beatrix close, her shoulders trembling. She could barely breathe for laughing.
"Bea ... you did it on purpose, didn't you? ... I couldn't believe my eyes ... that blasted lizard running along the table ... "
"I had to do something," the girl explained in a muffled voice. "Leo was behaving badly - I didn't understand what he was saying, but I saw Lord Westcliff's face - "
"Oh ... oh ... " Amelia choked with giggles. "Poor Westcliff ... one moment he's def-fending the local population from Leo's tyranny, and then Spot comes s-slithering past the bread plates ... "
"Where is Spot?" Twisting away from her sister, Beatrix approached Cam, who deposited the lizard in her outstretched palms. "Thank you, Mr. Rohan. You have very quick hands."
"So I've been told." He smiled at her. ~ Lisa Kleypas

I'd never even been to Wrigley Field. I never even enjoyed baseball that much, but I loved being there, the crowd was lovely, and they all sang with me! ~ Bea Arthur

How did you find me, anyway?"
"We went to your office, and your butler told us you had left to come here." She laughed, remembering it. "Max said, 'What, already?' and Mr. Shaw said, rather loftily, that you could 'wait for no man's leisure' and 'tend on no man's business.' I gather that the man is as fond of Much Ado about Nothing as we are."
"Oh, he likes them all," Dom said dryly. "Too many years spent as a bit player in the theater, I'm afraid. He keeps hoping that if he memorizes every play in existence, he will advance to a lead role." He fastened his trousers. "But how did you even get away from your uncle and Blakeborough? They just let you ride off after me with Max and Lisette?"
"Well, Blakeborough had no choice since I had just jilted him." She sighed. "Oh, Lord. I have once again jilted a fiancé, haven't I? I'm forever going to be known as the woman who jilted two men." She made a face. "I should have calling cards made--'Jane the Jilt,' to go along with 'Dom the Almighty.'"
"I will never carry a card with the appellation 'Dom the Almighty,' so just put that right out of your head," he said irritably. "In any case, since you're marrying me, I'm no longer jilted." He paused a moment to shoot her a wary glance. "You are marrying me, aren't you?"
That was even closer to asking. "Say 'please,'" she teased.
Though he eyed her askance, he pulled her close for a long, lingering kiss, then said, "Please, Jane, will you marry me?"
She bea ~ Sabrina Jeffries

My dream was to become a very small blonde movie star like Ida Lupino and those other women I saw up there on the screen during the Depression. ~ Bea Arthur

Bea did not want a new mother. She'd hardly even seen the one she once had, except for glimpses out the window when her mother was climbing into a carriage to go off to a party. She'd been as beautiful as an angel, all sparkling and laughing in her lovely gowns, but not much use. ~ Amanda McCabe

if I act the way
I wish I were
am I still acting...or becoming?" -Bea ~ Kat Yeh

I'm very, very involved in charities involving youth. ~ Bea Arthur

Bea says that the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day. ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Trust me, Bea, you are on your way. It's about acknowledging where you are and knowing that you are okay. The universe has your back and so do I. ~ Sadeqa Johnson

I come from a small town in Maryland. I came to California in 1972 to begin Maude. ~ Bea Arthur

The pain was greater than the shame ~ Bea Turvey

After a universal silence, Leo was the first to speak. "Did anyone else notice - "
"Yes," Catherine said. "What do you make of it?"
"I haven't decided yet." Leo frowned and took a sip of port. "He's not someone I would pair Bea with."
"Whom would you pair her with?"
"Hanged if I know," Leo said. "Someone with similar interests. The local veterinarian, perhaps?"
"He's eighty-three years old and deaf," Catherine said.
"They would never argue," Leo pointed out. ~ Lisa Kleypas

I feel I'm an actress who sings a bit. ~ Bea Arthur

Remember a few years ago when they left Bea Arthur out of the death reel at the Oscars? Bea Arthur! How did they leave Bea Arthur out? She was in Mame; she was in All in the Family; she was in Maude; she was a Golden Girl, for God's sake! Bea was not only one of Hollywood's leading ladies, she was one of Hollywood's leading men! ~ Joan Rivers