I'm not sure I approve of theatre as a university course. I think theatre's something you do. I mean, literature is a subject; theatre is practical.

Confidence was the backbone of my upbringing. I was an only child, so I was spoilt, loved, and given an enormous amount of confidence by my parents.

I don't think people realise how important it is to have your blood pressure checked. Stroke is so sudden, so catastrophic.

I think Britain is a bit class-ridden. People tend to be judged by how rounded their vowels are.

It's very hard to talk about Palestine to Jewish people - they see me as a betrayer.

I want a comfortable old age and to be looked after - I have arthritis - and money is a factor.

Glenda Jackson called me an amateur in 1976 when we were in a play, 'The White Devil.' I've never forgiven her.

My feeling is that the English are naturally anti-Semitic.

If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, I would say, 'Lose weight.'

I think I should be described as 'bi' - not bisexual, because I'm not - I'm gay - but 'binational' because I retain British nationality, and I add to it being Australian, which is like having your cake and eating it.

There's a strong melancholic streak in me.

I don't have a very positive attitude towards rappers.

The curious thing is that I embraced homosexuality with as much joy and delight as I've embraced everything else in my life.

My father was a doctor, so I thought I was going to be a doctor, too, but I couldn't do maths; I couldn't do science. I was hopeless at chemistry.

I don't care what I look like. I must be comfortable. Some of my friends have plastic surgery and Botox, but I'm not interested in it.

Unfortunately, I don't know many black people.

People who were gay were pitied and ridiculed by my parents - they had no modern sense of people being allowed to be who they were.

I think all actors get scared because we're frightened to disappoint.

I may have a talent for acting, but I am incapable of doing anything else.

The first piece of property that I bought was in Tuscany in 1973.

Old people have a much better time in India because they're respected.

I have a class prejudice - against the upper class, which is foolish.

I'm going to be 75 in May. How can I have lived this long and not know anything?

I don't for a second regret my closeness to them because they were wonderful, golden parents who gave me so much confidence.

Although my parents both liked her, they just didn't approve of a same-sex relationship. Nowadays, people say that you must let children be what they are, but when I was growing up, the parents defined the child - and my parents had a definite vision of how they wanted me to be.

I don't like religion.

My mother died of a stroke in 1974, and for a long time, I blamed myself. She was utterly devastated when I told her I was a lesbian not long before.

My vocabulary is vast and expert, and I don't think I overuse any word.

I have no secrets. I decided very early on in life that the strongest position was to be completely open.

My home in Adelaide was the Adina Hotel.

Adelaide's charms are compelling. It's not a huge place; the size is manageable, the traffic absurdly light.

As I get older, people do come up to me just to give me a hug.

People seem comfortable with me. And maybe that's got a lot to do with shows like Graham Norton. You just tell it like it is on those programs.

I do say things possibly other people don't say. So I shouldn't be too surprised when they are picked up.

It's really hard being old - it's horrible.

Israel is stupid for allowing people to vent their anti-Semitism.

I am stopped in the street by kids and Harry Potter fans all the time.

I really have fallen in love with myself.

It's shameful to admit, but it's been a bit of a lifelong affair, and I do now feel I'm as good as it gets. I'm honourable, kind, friendly, warm, intelligent, generous, and I've got a good sense of humour.

I've never been someone who is cast for having a lovely figure but for whatever qualities I could possibly bring to a role, so I'm still castable.

I don't like 'comedy,' I like 'life,' which has everything in it.

From my earliest days, reading was my passion, and at Cambridge, where I studied English literature, my intellectual life deepened and grew.

My partner of 45 years is Australian, and a big part of her character is that marvellous quality of irony which Aussies possess. I relish their humour and sense of fairness.

That's one reason India is an attractive proposition for retiring. Servants are much more reasonable than in England. It's not exploitation so long as you pay a proper salary.

I refused to be filmed getting off a bus twice. The director said, 'I'm an award-winning director. Please do it', and I said, 'I never thought I'd say this, but I'm an award-winning actress with a bad leg, and if your film depends on seeing me get in and out of a bus, we're in trouble.'

I should have got thin, but I eat too much. I hate the word 'moderation.'

As long as I am working, I am grateful and happy.

Mummy was absolutely the rock in my life. It was not that I didn't love my father; he was such a quiet man, and she was not. She was the most vivid person I have ever known. She was accomplished and brave and fearless. She used to say to me, 'I want you to be able to talk to anyone about anything.'

I don't like class distinction, and there is far too much of that in England.

I've burnt my boats, and there they are - smouldering in public view.