I had always loved John Ford's pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He used the shock treatment while directing me. Ethel Waters on death
Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success of that one show. Ethel Waters on future
Elia Kazan understood my problems. He was able to bring out the very best in me. He gave me credit for my intelligence. Ethel Waters on intelligence
We never had a bathtub. Mom would bathe me in the wooden or tin washtub in the kitchen, or in a big lard can. Ethel Waters on mom
Mom was the greatest influence of my childhood. She wanted to save me from the vice, lust, and drinking that was all about me. Ethel Waters on mom
Mom never quit on me. My only regret is that she didn't live long enough to share some of the money and comforts my work in show business has brought me. Ethel Waters on mom
In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six dollars a week. Being without a husband, it was hard for her to find any place at all for us to live. Ethel Waters on mom
Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success of that one show. Ethel Waters on success
I wanted to be with the kind of people I'd grown up with, but you can't go back to them and be one of them again, no matter how hard you try. Ethel Waters on teen