Peter Ustinov Quotes

Contrary to general belief, I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first.

Pavarotti is not vain, but conscious of being unique.

Marriage is like a three-speed gearbox affection, friendship, love. It is not advisable to crash your gears and go right through to love straightaway. You need to ease your way through. The basis of love is respect, and that needs to be learned from affection and friendship.

"I love history. It's so old." - Attributed to Peter Ustinov.

The point of living and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come

"The only reason I made a commercial for American Express was to pay off my American Express Bill"
- Peter Ustinov, 1921-2004

Ein Philosoph ist ein Mann, der in Ermangelung einer Frau die ganze Welt umarmt.

It is our responsibilities, not ourselves, that we should take seriously.

I have four children which is not bad considering I'm not a Catholic.

The social sciences were for all those who had not yet decided what to do with their lives, and for all those whose premature frustrations led them into the sterile alleys of confrontation.

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.

Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich.

Basically I'm a very serious person, but I think the form it takes with me is comedy. I see the amusing side of all potentially pompous situations.

I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me the most civilized music in the world.

Laughter would be bereaved if snobbery died.