8 Celebrity Smoking Quotes ...

Jennifer

8 Celebrity Smoking Quotes ...
8 Celebrity Smoking Quotes ...

Last week, the FDA released a series of new warning labels for cigarettes and other tobacco products, causing quite a stir with the graphic images and stark warnings. For decades, celebrities have come down on one side or the other about smoking, from gorgeous actresses Brooke Shields and Michelle Pfeiffer to famous writers Oscar Wilde and Kurt Vonnegut. Exactly what do our favorite celebs have to say about smoking, one way or the other? Here are 8 of my favorite celebrity smoking quotes.

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1. Brooke Shields

Don’t get me wrong: I adore Brooke Shields. But while she was testifying before Congress about her role as a spokesperson for an anti-smoking campaign, at age 16, in 1981, she said something that goes down in history as perhaps one of the dumbest things a celebrity has ever said, one of my favorite celebrity smoking quotes. She said, “Smoking can kill you. And if you’ve been killed, you've lost a very important part of your life.” I shudder to think of all the dumb things I said when I was 16… but still…

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Shields' endearingly naive proclamation might be chuckled over, but it's a stark reminder of the pressure young stars face when thrust into the public eye. With cameras rolling and every word magnified, it's easy to slip up. Yet, her commitment to the cause, despite the verbal stumble, shines through. It's all too human to fumble with words, especially under the intense scrutiny of Capitol Hill. Frankly, it's the substance behind the words that truly matters, and on that note, Brooke was spot on—smoking is deadly, a message worth repeating, even if done so with less-than-elegant phrasing.

2. Matt Lauer

This is one of my all-time favorite celebrity quotes, and it just so happens to be another celebrity smoking quote. Matt Lauer, the hunky host of NBC’s Today Show, said during a broadcast: “Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same

reactions in the brain as marijuana... The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two, but can't remember what they are.” So he’s handsome AND clever! I love it!

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3. Arturo Toscanini

Toscanini, famed for his photographic memory as well as his intense conducting skill, once said, “I kissed my first girl and smoked my first cigarette on the same day. I haven't had time for tobacco since.” Smart man!

4. Katharine Whitehorn

I adore Kathartine Whitehorn, and think of her as something of a role model. She’s charming, witty, and an all-around “slovenly woman.” What did she once have to say about smoking? “There are some circles in America where it seems to be more socially acceptable to carry a hand-gun than a packet of cigarettes.” She’s right, of course — here in Michigan, we recently passed a law that makes it illegal to smoke in bars and restaurants, but I’m sure it’s still okay to carry a hand-gun. For the record, I love the ban.

5. Oscar Wilde

In “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Wilde says something that perhaps he’d have thought in real life: “A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?” I disagree, of course, never having been a smoker, but I’m sure some smokers would agree with him.

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6. Kurt Vonnegut

I’m just now realizing how many of these celebrity smoking quotes are from writers… at any rate, another of my favorite writers, Vonnegut is quoted as once having said, “The public health authorities never mention the main reason many Americans have for smoking heavily, which is that smoking is a fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide.” He’s right, just ask Brooke Shields: smoking can kill you.

7. Michelle Pfeiffer

Glamorous, gorgeous Michelle Pfeiffer is an ex-smoker, and here’s what she has to say about it: “I used to smoke two packs a day and I just hate being a non-smoker... but I will never consider myself a non-smoker because I always find smokers the most interesting people at the table.”

8. Katherine Heigl

Star of several films, as well as TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” Katherine Heigl knows she’s a role model, especially to her own child. Here’s what she had to say about smoking in a “Parade” interview: “Smoking sucks! The one thing I would say to my kid is, ‘It’s not just that it’s bad for you. Do you want to spend the rest of your life fighting a stupid addiction to a stupid thing that doesn’t even really give you a good buzz?’”

After reading these 8 celebrity smoking quotes, it’s amazing to me how many of my favorite celebs have weighed in one way or the other — we all agree it’s bad for us, but for some reason, celebrities have a harder time giving it up, or, on the other hand, they’re vehement against it from the start — who knew it was such a polarizing issue? Which of these celebrity smoking quotes do you like best? Or do you have another one to share?

Top image source: actress.glowclick.com

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