20 Olympia Dukakis Quotes

Olympia Dukakis was an American actress who lived from June 20, 1931, to the day she passed away, May 1, 2021.

The actress appeared in more than 60 motion pictures and on-stage performance records in more than 130 plays and 50 television shows. She began her career in theater before becoming well recognized as a movie actress.

Because they're funny! Because they make us smile! Because they make us think about the human condition! Yes, these will be your exact thoughts after reading our curated collection of Olympia Dukakis quotes.

Olympia Dukakis was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, to a Peloponnese mother and an immigrant father. She excelled in athletics as a young woman and won the New England fencing championship three times. Her life partner and great love was Louis Zorich.

"My ambition wasn't to win the Oscar. It was to play the great parts."

"When I was a kid, I'd kneel down at the side of my bed every night before I went to sleep, and my mother and I would say a Greek prayer to the Virgin Mary."

"Thankfully, it became clear to me that when I compete, I lose my connection to the passion I have for my work."

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."

-Clairee Belcher, 'Steel Magnolias', 1989.

"You know, you would be a much more contented, pleasant person if you would find ways to occupy your time."

-Clairee Belcher, 'Steel Magnolias', 1989.

Olympia Dukakis earned for her off-Broadway performance in 'Man Equals Man' an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 not long after moving to New York City. She eventually transitioned to film acting and was recognized for her work in 'Moonstruck' with a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

"I think we have to be careful about what we label as a prerequisite for spirituality. I don't think you have to know a lot to have a spiritual life, but knowing gives life richness."

"The rest of us are still trying to find ways to live in the world with spiritual values. Myself included. We've learned certain skills, we've learned to prevail somewhat, but we've not made it over the mountain."

"Sometimes, a sense of competition blinds you from your real passion."

"No matter how far you come, it's stupid to think that you have achieved everything in life. There's always so much more to achieve. And if you let yourself stop and be stagnant, you'll always be stuck in one place."

"But if we're not willing, to be honest with ourselves about what we feel, we don't evolve."

Olympia Dukakis was nominated for a second Golden Globe for 'Sinatra' and for three Emmy Awards—' Lucky Day', 'Joan of Arc', and 'Tales Of The City'. 'Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress', Dukakis' autobiography, was released in 2003. A two-hour-long documentary discussing her life called 'Olympia' was also theatrically released in the US in 2018.

"Rose Castorini(Olympia Dukakis): Do you love him, Loretta?
Loretta Castorini(Cher): Aw, ma, I love him awful.
Rose Castorini(Olympia Dukakis): Oh, God, that's too bad."
- 'Moonstruck', 1987.

"Well, you know what they say: if you don't have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit by me!"
-Clairee Belcher, 'Steel Magnolias', 1989.

"Cosmo Castorini : A man understands one day that his life is built on nothing, and that's a bad, crazy day.

Rose : Your life is not built on nothing! Ti amo."

- 'Moonstruck', 1987.

"Be true to yourself no matter the cost. There's no point in trying to be someone you are not. Only if you can be what you really are can you truly grow."

"If you stay in your comfort zone, you'll never be able to grow or evolve. You need to have the courage to get out of your bubble of comfort and experience things for yourself. Only through constant growth and success will you achieve happiness."

During the production of 'The Trojan Women' in 1982, Dukakis became a devotee of Goddess worship, a feminist variant of modern Paganism. She was very outspoken about this beginning in 1989, and she created impromptu theatrical acts based on the mythology of the movement.

"I think it's because most of us talk one way and live another. There are a few people who truly, truly walk the talk."

"I talk to women's groups all over the country and see women struggling with this. The fear of not being accepted, of being different, of not having a man, all make it hard for a woman to do what she really believes is right for her."

"I feel it most in my work because there aren't roles about women who are spiritually evolving. That anyone would even write something like that, something that's worth doing would be a miracle!"

"When my children were born, I didn't have them baptized because I felt baptism was about erasing Original Sin - something the Church said children got from their mother - and I absolutely refused to believe women carry Original Sin."

"Most of us are not real eager to grow, myself included, We try to be happy by staying in the status quo."