Quotes By Desi Arnaz

American people have the ability to laugh at themselves. It is one of the things that makes this country the great country that it is.

Lucy is such a perfectionist.

Al Jolson was one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived.

Since I was very young I have always worked hard at whatever I have had to do.

One of my biggest problems with comedy was that I did not understand some of the jokes.

Joe McCarthy and his Senate hearings were like witch-hunts.

I don't think anyone can tell you what it is that makes you a star.

I learned a lot in those first years in Miami, while struggling just for survival, by observing my father's fortitude.

At times we were criticized for doing too much slapstick. I don't believe in mild comedy, and neither does Lucy.

Drinking intensifies all your pressures and your needs.

The success of I Love Lucy is something that happens only once in a lifetime, if you are fortunate enough to have it happen at all.

The thing I remember about New York was how little I felt. I arrived with one small bag and $15.

An actor who is good at comedy can also be very good at drama, but not necessarily vice versa.

The way the Army does things is sometimes a little strange.

An audience is so important. I would never have had the guts to dub in that big a laugh.

Failure is the most terrible thing in our business. When we fail, the whole world knows about it.

A single prop that does not look real to an audience can louse you up. The same is true of the smallest flaw in setting up the motivation in a story line.

Good things do not come easy. The road is lined with pitfalls.

Lucy and I would love furiously and fight furiously.

When we got married, nobody gave it more than two weeks. There were bets all over the country, with astronomical odds against us.

I had started calling her Lucy shortly after we met; I didn't like the name Lucille. That's how our television show was called I Love Lucy, not Lucille.

Nobody bats 500. We all make mistakes.

I learned a lot from Xavier Cugat.

Motion-picture studio floors used to be all wooden and not smooth at all. This was difficult when moving a camera around on a dolly.

My Latin temper blows up pretty fast, but it goes down just as fast. Maybe that's why you seldom hear of ulcers in Latin America.

Everyone seemed to be doing well except me and my career. And my accent was no helping me any.

I went to high school with Al Capone.