I don't want to be thought of as wholesome.

Does Mary Poppins have an orgasm? Does she go to the bathroom? I assure you, she does. (1982)

Singing has never been particularly easy for me.

Films are much more my level. On stage I never feel quite enough.

[upon answering whether Mary Poppins and Bert ever got it together]: I hope so. She wouldn't admit it, but I do hope so.

As my mother said, I never sprang out of bed with a glad shout! My voice needed oiling and then it took off.

I had a teacher who stressed for me the importance of diction in terms of - I want to be very careful about how I say this - in terms of supporting one's voice when one is singing. In other words, if you hold on to your words, your voice will pull through for you when you're singing. So be true to your vowels. Supposing you have to sing (from the Messiah) "Behold thy king cometh unto thee". If you do a strong "thee", it will help you with the "-hold", which is a much higher note. And it's the note before the note that matters, then you unpeel a song backwards.

A lot of my life happened in great, wonderful bursts of good fortune, and then I would race to be worthy of it.

[on being a gay icon]: I don't know. I'm sort of aware that I am. But I'm that odd mixture of, on the one hand, being a gay icon and, on the other hand, having grandmas and parents being grateful I'm around to be a babysitter for their kids. And I've never been able to figure out what makes a gay icon, because there are many different kinds. I don't think I have the image that say, Judy Garlandhas, or Bette Davis.

[Upon receiving the BAFTA award on October 7, 1989]: I am first and always English, and I carry my country in my heart wherever I go. I've tried to honour her, and I have the funny feeling that perhaps tonight, in some way, I've managed to do just that.

[asked where she kept her Oscar]: He stayed in the attic a long time. I just didn't feel worthy.... When I got to know more about film, I felt safe trotting him out.

I've learned things about myself through singing. I used to have a certain dislike of the audience, not as individual people, but as a giant body who was judging me. Of course, it wasn't really them judging me. It was me judging me. Once I got past that fear, it freed me up, not just when I was performing but in other parts of my life.

Bette Davis was always marvelous.

As soon as you have one, all those dormant maternal instincts start popping out all over you, like German measles.

All love shifts and changes. I don't know if you can be wholeheartedly in love all the time.

Blake (Blake Edwards) and I have this wonderful arrangement that while one is working hard, the other tries to be at home as much as possible and vice versa.

All kinds of things have been printed, including much gossip and rumour and finally I feel ready to have my say. I want to be as honest as I can.

"Sometimes I'm so sweet even I can't stand it."