Sammy Davis Jr. Quotes

Fame is a series of misunderstandings surrounding a name.

It's not what you are in Hollywood - it's what people think you are.

I'm not a kid. You don't get in this business for anonymity. It's not like I have posters of myself on the wall, but at the same time, I'm kind of ready for a little bit of it, but I worry for my little one, and my family - their privacy. That's what I'm more protective of.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.

It's better for people to miss you than to have seen too much of you.

Celebrity is the advantage of being known to people who we don't know, and who don't know us.

You might have a favorite book or film, but you can only watch or read it so many times before you have to let it sit and then go back and realize it's your favorite still. At some point everything gets a little stale and you have to step away from it.

However, people need to understand that it ain't that deep to try and convince people of what your persona is. You are who you are, and what you are will show in time. What you aren't can be hidden, but eventually it will come to light. Long story short: rappers should never take themselves too seriously.

Almost everybody that's well-known gets tagged with a nickname.

The problem with fame is that you get frozen in one frame and nothing you can do can alter the nature.

Sometimes you have to step away from what you love in order to learn how to love it again.

I never cultivated a personality. Almost everyone who is really famous has cultivated a personality.

The charm of fame is so great, that we like every object to which it is attached, even death.

I go back to St. Lucia, and the exhilaration I feel is not simply the exhilaration of homecoming and of nostalgia. It is almost an irritation of feeling: 'Well, you never got it right. Now you have another chance. Maybe you can try and look harder.'

I was stuck with the dark glasses. They took all these pictures that went around the world. I guess once you become successful, you don't want to change anything too drastically.

For people who may think they know, or have snippets of who I am, you can attack that person. That's part of being a public figure.

I know what it is to be out entertaining millions and yet wanting to be home because you miss your loved ones.

I have to maintain my stardom.

Give yourself a healthy bit of distance between your fame and reality because they are two different things.

Walking away from fame, whether by choice or necessity, isn't a bad thing. In fact for many, it's likely saved their lives, careers, families and basic dignity. More celebrities should probably try it.

I'm fascinated by people who can keep who they are in the midst of this business, which is all about not only pretending to be other people, but also that perception of who you are and how successful you are and your standing in the business.

I came back from the Olympic Games, and straightaway, I'm this role model. So that means I can't mess around with my mates like I used to because, if I do, people are going to use it to knock me down.

Anywhere I go - if it's in the country, out of the country - someone is going to know you.

I am not an icon.

Celebrity doesn't serve me unless it advances the work that I'm doing.