Dame Maggie Smith: The Downtown Abbey star's 10 most acerbic quotes from the show
After the death of Dame Maggie Smith, we take a look at her best and most acerbic quotes as the Dowager Countess of Grantham about love, life and class.
Actress Dame Maggie, known best for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89.
Her family revealed the news in a statement this afternoon (Friday, September 27). The iconic actress lived in Fittleworth – a village and civil parish in the district of Chichester.
Dame Maggie Smith’s association with Chichester Festival Theatre spanned 30 years. Her first appearance was in 1964 as Desdemona in Laurence Olivier’s Othello.
Dame Maggie went on to become a legend in film and television and was always great value when appearing on chat shows like Graham Norton’s.
And her character in Downtown Abbey - Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham – was famous for for her quick with and acerbic quotes.
Here are 10 of our favourite quotes from Dame Maggie Smith’s character in the hit ITV show.
On love
“I know several couples who are perfectly happy. Haven’t spoken in years.”
“I am not a romantic. But even I will concede that the heart does not exist solely for the purpose of pumping blood.”
“My dear, love is a far more dangerous motive than dislike.”
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On hope and happiness
"Hope is a tease, designed to prevent us accepting reality."
"All this unbridled joy has given me quite an appetite." On life and how to live it
“No life appears rewarding if you think about it too much.”
“All life is a series of problems which we must try and solve, first one and then the next and then the next, until at last we die.”
"All this endless thinking. It's very overrated. I blame the war. Before 1914, nobody thought about anything at all."
“Principles are like prayers; noble, of course, but awkward at a party.” On class
“Don’t be defeatist, dear. It is very middle class.”