Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas: My stroke changed me into a better person — a person whom I like. We all want happiness. I've learned we achieve happiness when we seek the happiness and well-being of others.

Kirk Douglas: I was a little boy in the kitchen with my mother and I asked, 'How was I born?' She told me this beautiful story about a gold box that came down from heaven on silver strands.

Kirk Douglas: I'm anxious how other people will react to it, when I hear that it showed the other night and people seemed to enjoy it very much, that's wonderful. But if they didn't enjoy it that wouldn't destroy me. You see, with maturity you can accept things and look at them more realistically.

Kirk Douglas: As you get older, there's a wonderful thing that happens. You don't have that feeling, 'Oh, God, will it succeed?' I've done this movie 'Greedy'. I haven't seen it. Maybe I'll see it in six months or so.

Kirk Douglas: I wrote 'Ragman' with my gut, my instincts--nothing formal. Writing is meditative and I like the solitude...I still don't feel very secure as a writer. One robin doesn't make a spring. But after you've made almost 80 movies, you think: 'Gee, maybe the people have seen enough of me.' I've seen enough of me! So I've learned that writing is an extension of acting. Now I play all the roles: I decide who has sex, who doesn't; who gets murdered, who doesn't. I'm expressing myself and take all the credit or the blame."

Kirk Douglas: If you want to know about a man you can find out an awful lot by looking at who he married.

Kirk Douglas: When you become a star, you don't change - everyone else does.