I remember when I first walked into Mayer’s cavernous office. You had to walk 50 yards to get to him, and in that time he could really study everything about you. – Esther Williams
It appeared as if I had invited the audience into the water with me, and it conveyed the sensation that being in there was absolutely delicious. – Esther Williams
What the public expects and what is healthy for an individual are two very different things. – Esther Williams
I was the only swimmer in movies. Tarzan was long gone, and he couldn’t have done them anyway; he could never have gotten into my bathing suit. – Esther Williams
I think it’s so funny when people think they can’t control a movie star. They can. We’re just women, you know. – Esther Williams
I never walked the streets of New York hoping to be a musical comedy star. For one thing, they would have thought I was too tall, because l was five feet eight and a half, and they were all little bitty things running around in the studio at that time. – Esther Williams
When you’re out of sight for as long as I was, there’s a funny feeling of betrayal that comes over people when they see you again. – Esther Williams
I took my daily swim at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool despite the presence of onlookers. – Esther Williams
I was 15, and the years of hard swimming had packed muscle on my frame and made me very strong. Not as strong as a football player, but strong enough to inflict heavy damage. – Esther Williams
Life magazine ran a page featuring me and three other girls that was clearly the precursor of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. – Esther Williams
Traveling to swimming meets took me beyond my small-town existence, gave me a hint of the exciting world outside of my own home. – Esther Williams
The newspapers loved pinup pictures of pretty young swimmers, and as a national champion, I got more than my share of space in the sports pages. – Esther Williams
Victor Mature was a big man; he had a great swagger. I liked him and I knew we’d be good together on screen. – Esther Williams
I took a job at the pool in order to earn the five cents a day it cost to swim. I counted wet towels. As a bonus, I was allowed to swim during lunchtime. – Esther Williams
Somehow I kept my head above water. I relied on the discipline, character, and strength that I had started to develop as that little girl in her first swimming pool. – Esther Williams
The wisdom acquired with the passage of time is a useless gift unless you share it. – Esther Williams
I always felt that if I made a movie, it would be one movie; I didn’t see how they could make 26 swimming movies. – Esther Williams
