Quotes from Lee Marvin

After a sheltered life, I went the other way. I wanted to prove how tough I was.

The first day of 'Liberty,' I was hanging around waiting for Ford to come in. Everybody told me how tough he was and not to say anything, or he'd single you out and get on you the whole shoot. But as he walked in, I got up and saluted him.

I love Marlon Brando. Never seem him bad, just less good.

Wardrobe is - in films, I could say it's a good half of the acting. You get the right rags on, they'll talk for you.

I only make movies to finance my fishing.

And once by God, I was a Marine!

One of the good things about getting older is you find you're more interesting than most of the people you meet.

My father was the classic Puritan. Hold the emotions in check. Keep up appearances.

I didn't get my hair cut for two movies, and it got a little long. I'm going back to a... not a crew cut. Back to, oh, about a Presbyterian length.

It was the Marines who taught me how to act. After that, pretending to be rough wasn't so hard.

I've never been able to accept any kind of discipline.

I know Chicago cops. They're tough. They have to be. The whole city would explode. It's like a bomb, Chicago.

A guy digging ditches or a plumber wiping joints - it solves problems, you know? You have to dig this hole so wide, so long, so deep. You dig it, and that's it.

There are two types of people: those that are going somewhere and those that ain't.

If I have any appeal at all, it's to the fellow who takes out the garbage.

If I put on a tie and play what I really think I am, I'm a disaster.

Newman has it all worked out. I get a million. He gets a million two, but that includes $200,000 expenses.

My father was tough. At least, he thought so, and I guess I have a lot of his traits.

I didn't like school. Every day, it was a toss-up whether I'd go or skip.

In school, I couldn't see any sense to reading, writing, and arithmetic. Sure, they kicked me out, but for trifles, like continual daydreaming and smoking, that wouldn't be grounds for expulsion nowadays.

As soon as people see my face on a movie screen, they knew two things: first, I'm not going to get the girl, and second, I'll get a cheap funeral before the picture is over.

I was on Saipan when I got hit. Not too bad, but bad enough to hamper me if I stayed. I was hit in my left buttocks just below the belt line.

I only make movies to finance my fishing'.

Tequila. Straight. There's a real polite drink. You keep drinking until you finally take one more and it just won't go down. Then you know you've reached your limit.