Silent film star Pola Negri: "Would I change any of it-the triumphs or the tragedies? I wondered. Perhaps some details. But nothing, nothing, if it meant giving it all up. I would relinquish neither inner scars nor external glories. I have wept and laughed, been foolish and wise. There is even a certain edge of triumph in the peacefulness of my present life.

I may occasionally miss the glittering personalities of my past, but the close friends of my present are infinitely more real.

The past was wonderful; it was youth and exhilaration. I would not have missed it for worlds. The present is tranquil; it is age and a little wisdom. I am grateful to have survived long enough to have experienced it."