May 26: Notable Births, with Quotes
Explore memorable and revealing quotes from public figures, past and present, who were born on May 26.
Helena Bonham Carter, actor (May 26, 1966–present)
“I’ve gotten too attached to my Instagram and my scrolling. I have to beware.” —Helena Bonham Carter
Carter, Helena Bonham. “Gillian Anderson and Helena Bonham Carter Have a Very British Chat.” Interview, June 7, 2021, https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/gillian-anderson-and-helena-bonham-carter-have-a-very-british-chat.
“I love dressing up and creating myself, as it were, according to the day and the mood. But it’s an illusion, because then the Daily Mail photographs you, and you see it and think, that wasn’t what I meant at all.” —Helena Bonham Carter
Freeman, Hadley. “Helena Bonham Carter: ‘Divorce is cruel. But some parts are to be recommended.’” The Guardian, October 31, 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/oct/31/helena-bonham-carter-divorce-is-cruel-but-some-parts-are-to-be-recommended.
Lenny Kravitz, singer and actor (May 26, 1964–present)
“It’s a beautiful thing to really realize what you don’t need.” —Lenny Kravitz
Pappademas, Alex. “Lenny Kravitz’s Guide to Immortality.” Men’s Health, October 1, 2020, https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a34150751/lenny-kravitz-interview-cover-story/.
“I love my father, and we made peace before he died, but I held on to some things that had affected me in our relationship, and through writing the book . . . I was able to strip away some of the judgment that I had held on to and got to just see him as a human being.” —Lenny Kravitz
Pappademas, Alex. “Lenny Kravitz’s Guide to Immortality.” Men’s Health, October 1, 2020, https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a34150751/lenny-kravitz-interview-cover-story/.
Sally Ride, astronaut (May 26, 1951–July 23, 2012)
“I never went into physics or the astronaut corps to become a role model. But after my first flight, it became clear to me that I was one. And I began to understand the importance of that to people. Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday. You can’t be what you can’t see.” —Sally Ride
Beard, Alison. “Sally Ride.” Harvard Business Review, September 2012, https://hbr.org/2012/09/sally-ride.
“At the time I grew up, the space program was on the front page of the newspaper almost every day. It was the coolest thing around. I idolized the astronauts, but I never thought really seriously about becoming one.” —Sally Ride
Beard, Alison. “Sally Ride.” Harvard Business Review, September 2012, https://hbr.org/2012/09/sally-ride.
Jack Kevorkian, euthanasia proponent and pathologist (May 26, 1928–June 3, 2011)
“The single worst moment of my life… was the moment I was born.” —Jack Kevorkian
Gupta, Dr. Sanjay. “Kevorkian: ‘I have no regrets.’” CNN, June 14, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/14/kevorkian.gupta/index.html.
“What difference does it make if someone is terminal? We are all terminal.” —Jack Kevorkian
Gupta, Dr. Sanjay. “Kevorkian: ‘I have no regrets.’” CNN, June 14, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/14/kevorkian.gupta/index.html.
John Wayne, actor (May 26, 1907–June 11, 1979)
“Every time they rate a picture, they let a little more go. Ratings are ridiculous to begin with. There was no need for rated pictures when the major studios were in control. Movies were once made for the whole family. Now, with the kind of junk the studios are cranking out—and the jacked-up prices they’re charging for the privilege of seeing it—the average family is staying home and watching television.” —John Wayne
Playboy. “John Wayne: Playboy Interview.” The Wrap, May 1971, https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/John_Wayne_Playboy_Int2.pdf.
“They seem to forget the one basic principle of our business—illusion. We’re in the business of magic. I don’t think it hurts a child to see anything that has the illusion of violence in it. All our fairy tales have some kind of violence—the good knight riding to kill the dragon, etc. Why do we have to show the knight spreading the serpent’s guts all over the candy mountain?” —John Wayne
Playboy. “John Wayne: Playboy Interview.” The Wrap, May 1971, https://www.thewrap.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/John_Wayne_Playboy_Int2.pdf.
Isadora Duncan, dancer (May 26, 1877–September 14, 1927)
“The autobiographies of most famous women are a series of accounts of the outward existence, of petty details and anecdotes which give no realisation of their real life. For the great moments of joy or agony they remain strangely silent.” —Isadora Duncan
Duncan, Isadora. “My Life.” Project Gutenberg Canada, May 2, 2012, https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/duncani-mylife/duncani-mylife-00-h-dir/duncani-mylife-00-h.html.
“From the first I have only danced my life. As a child I danced the spontaneous joy of growing things. As an adolescent, I danced with joy turning to apprehension of the first realisation of tragic undercurrents; apprehension of the pitiless brutality and crushing progress of life.” —Isadora Duncan
Duncan, Isadora. “My Life.” Project Gutenberg Canada, May 2, 2012, https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/duncani-mylife/duncani-mylife-00-h-dir/duncani-mylife-00-h.html.
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