Being a good host offsets the deprivation and loneliness of my youth.

Meaning of the quote

As a young person, Alan Ladd felt lonely and deprived. But by being a kind and welcoming host to others, he was able to overcome those negative feelings from his childhood. Being a good host helped him feel better about himself and his past.

About Alan Ladd

Alan Ladd was an American actor and film producer who found great success in the 1940s and 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in noir films and starred in memorable movies like Shane and The Great Gatsby. Though his popularity waned in the mid-1950s, Ladd continued to act, including a supporting role in the hit film The Carpetbaggers.

More about the author

More quotes from Alan Ladd

I learned more about acting from George Stevens in a few months than I had in my entire life up until then.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

What good will a tax break do me if I’m crippled for life?

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Just as Jimmy Stewart and Tyrone Power get 50 percent of the profits, so do I.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Nobody’s strong enough to stand up under a flood of weak material.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’m the most insecure guy in Hollywood. If you had it good all your life, you figure it can’t ever get bad, but when you had it bad, you wonder how long a thing like this will last.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I had only that one picture, Hitler, the Beast of Berlin, in which I had a part big enough to impress anyone. I tried for better roles over and over again.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’m going to make it. Nothing is going to stop me. Nothing. I want it too much.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Strangers still leave me self-conscious.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’ve always had a great respect for the picture business. It’s been good to me.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Maybe I can’t act, but I know the gimmicks. I studied acting all my life and know what’s good for me.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’m shy and can’t for the life of me barge around and slap people on the back. I sit in a corner by myself and am tickled to death when someone comes over to talk to me.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’m working myself to death.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I hear about stars being torn to pieces by fans. It never happened to me and I never saw it happen to anyone else.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

It’s a funny thing about me. I don’t have any interest in food most of the time now, although when I was a kid I was always hungry.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Not every father gets a chance to start his son off in his own footsteps.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’d rather be David Ladd’s father than Alan Ladd any day.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

My parents were so poor when I was a kid, I never went anywhere. I take our youngsters with us because I don’t know anything that teaches them so much.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

It seems only reasonable that the people have a right to know virtually everything about the personality they are buying each time they put their money through the box office.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I was never trained for anything.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I wish I were the type who could walk into a place and have everybody love me. But I’m not, and there’s no use wishing.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

When I was on the air a lot my throat and vocal chords got tired. If you don’t vary your tones you can’t get pretty tired of your own voice.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Our children were trained to look after each other.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Time scoots along pretty fast when you grow up.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I never fail to feel let down when I see myself on the screen.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Being a good host offsets the deprivation and loneliness of my youth.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

If you can figure out my success on the screen, you’re a better man than I.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I just want to make pictures that are entertaining. I’ll leave the scenery chewing to someone else.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I know what’s good for me. I can’t play black or gray. I can’t be a villain or anything close to one. I have to play white.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

A producer has to know all about everything from set-building to costumes to acting.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I don’t care how small the parts are, as long as they’re good.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I think any movie star who refuses autographs has a hell of a nerve.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

As long as my pictures go into theaters and we ask people to pay to see what I do on the screen, I should not object if customers want to know what kind of man I am.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

It’s natural to want your kids to have all the things you didn’t have.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

Maybe I thought too much about picking up the money and not enough about the really good parts.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I was a dummy in school.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

I’m no good with words but I’ll find ways from time to time to show you how grateful I am.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)

If I had my way, I’d do all my entertaining on the front steps.

Alan Ladd

American actor (1913-1964)