Whoopi Goldberg Quotes

My life is one that I've aimed for - I've always wanted to be an actor who worked in film and television and was able to provide for himself and his family.

When I look back on my career, I go, 'This is really great, I've played so many different women.'

I wish I could look back and say, 'OK here was a T.V. show or a movie that I thought was so perfect for me', or, 'I did such a good job that if I died tomorrow at least I could say I left that as my legacy.' But there isn't anything that falls into that category.

This is what I always wanted to do in my entire life, so I am not going to sit here and complain that it is so terrible to be in successful movies, because it becomes a trilogy!

There's always been a lot of pressure and tension on the line. If 'Pi' didn't work out, I have no idea what my career would be. I don't think I would have gotten another shot at it. If 'Requiem for a Dream' didn't work out, they would have called me a 'one-hit wonder with a sophomore slump'.

Maybe I've got to admit that what I did here was enough. I can make some more films. Maybe I'll direct a film. Maybe I'll have my musical put on stage. But nothing, really, to be absolutely honest, competes with making a very successful pop band for 10 years of my life.

I grew up in a house where my father went on auditions, and he got some and he lost some, and there were good years and lean years. I didn't expect anything from the business, and that's often a danger in Hollywood, the notion that if you're pretty and have white teeth and just show up for the game then you'll win.

I've been working professionally as an actor since I was 20. That's going to be 25 years soon. So, that's a veteran. That's a big-time veteran. I've had some great successes, and I've had some not-successes.

If my gravy train stops at SAG, honey, it's been a great ride.

Seems to me that this business, for actors anyway, is not so much about whether or not you do good work. It's about whether or not you get the chance to do good work.

More than anything else, I'd like to be an old man with a good face, like Hitchcock or Picasso.

There's an art to being a good actor, there's an art to being a celebrity, and there's an art to longevity.

When you come from a family of actors, people in show business, they really know to celebrate good news and to celebrate it hard because it's not every day that you get it.

I've had a career where people still remember all these shows I've been on. It's quite cool; I just want to do stuff that people like.

In the '80s, it was difficult and frustrating to appear in the theater and TV again, even though I had some successful shows and hit records. Now, I have to say, the '90s are the best decade of my life. I've done the best work and, in a funny way, I'm enjoying the most success... more than in the '70s.

There have been actors who have been extremely successful by doing just about everything that came their way. But I do what I like doing and give it a certain time.

You shouldn't think about the fate of the films. The film might succeed or fail, but your performance must be good. You should work hard for every film.

When I end my career, I don't need to win eight championships, I'd rather have done something special.

I have fulfilled all my dreams in Bollywood. Now I have to find new dreams for Bollywood before I strike again.

Being an actress and a singer, you get more 'nos' than you get 'yes.' You get more rejection than you do anything else.

With 'Pity Party,' it's the first time seeing my vision come to life in front of my face. I'm super happy about it.

I write to please me, and I've been very lucky. It's like playing baseball. You just keep swinging, and eventually you get a hit.

Moving to L.A. and making albums was an exciting outlet, but I always thought I'd be slumming it job to job in N.Y.C. with hopes of being on Broadway!

It's been two decades. I feel blessed that I'm still working, and people still want to see me.

There's a process: you audition, you get rejected, occasionally you get jobs, and it's exciting, but it's all little stepping stones.