Quotes from Michael Caine

To me, growing old is great. It's the very best thing - considering the alternative.

I am a great admirer of other actors, but I never compete with other actors. I always compete with what I did last, and I'm my own most vicious critic. So I'm always trying to do it better.

For all my education, accomplishments, and so called 'wisdom'... I can't fathom my own heart.

My father was a fish market porter. So I grew up on fish, because he used to steal one a day, I grew up on the very best fish that money could buy, 'cause he only stole the good stuff.

Such is an actor's life. We must ride the waves of every film, barfing occasionally, yet maintain our dignity, even as the bulk of our Herculean efforts are keel-hauled before our very eyes. [On filming MacHale's Navy]

My wife, my daughters, even my grandchildren are funny. You've got to keep a sense of humor because anger destroys you.

It's funny, people ask me, 'What would you consider the most romantic track on your record Mr Caine?' And I say 'Swollen' by Bent, and they say 'I think he's off his rocker!'

I don't do it often, but I do cry. I also laugh a lot; people tell me I'm funny and I do like to laugh.

My understanding of women goes only as far as the pleasures.

I felt a tremendous sadness for men who can't deal with a woman of their own age.

Save your money. You're going to need twice as much money in your old age as you think.

I feel like 35. At 35 you're old enough to know something and young enough to look forward to what you can do with the knowledge. So I stayed at 35!

Funny things happen to you in movies for silly reasons.

For all my education, accomplishments, and so called 'wisdom'... I can't fathom my own heart.

In the sixties, everyone you knew became famous. My flatmate was Terence Stamp. My barber was Vidal Sassoon. David Hockney did the menu in a restaurant I went to. I didn't know anyone unknown who didn't become famous.

Hollywood is a cross between a health farm, a recreation center and an insane asylum. It's a company town, and I happen to like the company!

My problem was that I was blond. There were no heroes with blond hair. Robert Taylor and Henry Fonda, they all had dark hair. The only one I found was Van Johnson, who wasn't too cool. He was a nice, homely American boy. So I created my own image. It worked.

The difference between a movie star and a movie actor is this - a movie star will say, 'How can I change the script to suit me?' and a movie actor will say. 'How can I change me to suit the script?'

I am in so many movies that are on TV at 2:00 a.m. that people think I am dead.

January is the garbage can of movies in America, directly after all the Oscar contenders have been out.

If you go away on location for three months and your wife stays at home, you've made a whole new load of friends and she's made a whole new load of friends and you get home and you're kind of strangers.

My wife comes with me on all the movies, but she is not an appendage to a film star or anything like that. She is a completely intertwined partner. She is the other half of me. Also, we're still very much in love with each other. We always have been, we always will be.

I'm every bourgeois nightmare - a Cockney with intelligence and a million dollars.

I don't work very much, and I just sit here waiting for a script that I can't refuse - and I'm not talking about money.