Esther Williams

I was all in gold sequins for Million Dollar Mermaid, 50 feet in the air.

Somehow I kept my head above water. I relied on the discipline, character, and strength that I had started to develop as that little girl in her first swimming pool.

Marriage to Fernando offered shelter and security, but the shackle was the price I'd pay.

My first career ambitions involved turning into a boy; I intended to be either a railway guard or a knight errant.

If you're not having a good time, find something else that gives you some joy in life.

I don't believe in that kind of American John Wayne individualism where people pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Someone changed your diapers. And if that's the case, you ain't self-made.