Adding sound to movies would be like putting lipstick on the Venus de Milo.

Meaning of the quote

This quote suggests that adding sound to movies would ruin the beauty and artistry of the original silent films, just like adding lipstick to the famous statue of Venus de Milo would spoil its timeless elegance and simplicity. The quote highlights the idea that some things are perfect as they are, and adding unnecessary changes can often diminish their inherent value and charm.

About Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford was a pioneering Canadian-American film actress, producer, screenwriter, and film studio founder who became one of the most famous and recognizable women in the world during the silent film era. She was a driving force behind the development of Hollywood and the film industry, co-founding Pickford–Fairbanks Studios and United Artists, and was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

More about the author

More quotes from Mary Pickford

Make them laugh, make them cry, and hack to laughter. What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise. I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

Supposing you have tried and failed again and again. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

I was forced to live far beyond my years when just a child, now I have reversed the order and I intend to remain young indefinitely.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

One of the great penalties those of us who live our lives in full view of the public must pay is the loss of that most cherished birthright of man’s, privacy.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

Adding sound to movies would be like putting lipstick on the Venus de Milo.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

It would have been more logical if silent pictures had grown out of the talkies instead of the other way around.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)

You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down.

Mary Pickford

Canadian actress and producer (1892-1979)