Top 35 Kate Smith Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “In nearly all ballads, the words set the mood and meaning, while the music intensifies or enhances them.”

— Kate Smith

2. “I just can’t read music.”

— Kate Smith

3. “Intelligent analysis of the composer’s intention and strict adherence to it automatically ensures sincerity.”

— Kate Smith

4. “Ice cream was my undoing, and six chocolate milk shakes in a row were nothing to me at one time.”

— Kate Smith

5. “I am harder on myself than anyone else could be.”

— Kate Smith

6. “Middle-aged women have greater stability, they are more loyal, and their capacity for steady work is greater than that of younger women.”

— Kate Smith

7. “There’s no second chance on stage, and I was trained to make the most of my first chance.”

— Kate Smith

8. “Every small town has its dramatic group, its barber-shop quartet, every home has music in one form or another.”

— Kate Smith

9. “I vowed that whenever my family needed me, I would give up everything to go to them, no matter what. The show must go on was meaningless to me.”

— Kate Smith

10. “I could see myself in a white nurse’s uniform, working unnoticed for many years and at last dying, unknown, unmarried and unsung.”

— Kate Smith

11. “And when all is said and done, there is no greater success in the world than just being happy.”

— Kate Smith

12. “I know I’m fat and I know my hair is straight, but I can sing.”

— Kate Smith

13. “I am exceedingly lucky that my voice, along with perfect pitch and perfect rhythm, was given me at birth.”

— Kate Smith

14. “During the presidential primaries of 1940, I received a request from the Democratic National Committee to sing God Bless America before the speeches.”

— Kate Smith

15. “Because of my voice, speaking words which had been carefully chosen, women had used money they had set aside for other purposes to buy war bonds.”

— Kate Smith

16. “I love animals to the extent that my home is my dog’s home! Which means that nothing is too good for my Freckles-chairs, couches, beds. But I do draw the line on chipmunks nibbling at my table linens, bedding, blankets, etc.”

— Kate Smith

17. “I must work hard to make my singing above reproach; there must be no faults which hard work would take care of.”

— Kate Smith

18. “Public and employer opinion often defeat society’s best interests with a prejudice against middle-aged women.”

— Kate Smith

19. “It became obvious in 1957 that I was endangering my health by carrying so much weight.”

— Kate Smith

20. “I learn my songs by ear.”

— Kate Smith

21. “My singing is part of me, like my stoutness, or my light hair, or my poor eyesight.”

— Kate Smith

22. “An entertainer should in his public performance keep himself out of any controversy, political or otherwise.”

— Kate Smith

23. “I was always daydreaming about singing in big productions on Broadway.”

— Kate Smith

24. “I have always examined closely the motives of any group for which I am asked to raise money.”

— Kate Smith

25. “This nation loves singing and loves acting.”

— Kate Smith

26. “I have never known stage-fright at any time.”

— Kate Smith

27. “I have personally believed in every product I have ever advertised.”

— Kate Smith

28. “I have been extremely lucky with reviewers and critics throughout my career.”

— Kate Smith

29. “I shall always respect the composer. If I embellish, it is his idea I am embellishing.”

— Kate Smith

30. “In 29 years, I had recorded over 2,200 songs. I was amazed.”

— Kate Smith

31. “If rock-and-roll is well done, there’s nothing so terribly wrong with that kind of music. But the lyrics are another story.”

— Kate Smith

32. “I am continually embarrassed by people who point me out as an example of what can be done without training.”

— Kate Smith

33. “As soon as I began to earn what might be called fairly large sums, I bought a car and began to explore the country around New York.”

— Kate Smith

34. “I sometimes get that wonderful sympathy between me and the audience, telling me I’ve reached their hearts. And when I do, the thrill is mine.”

— Kate Smith

35. “I could not separate myself off stage from myself on stage, as so many actors can.”

— Kate Smith