"Biographies of me have usually been compiled from old newspaper clips, untruthful publicity stories,..." — Shirley Temple

My role models were Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt, and my major crush was J. Edgar Hoover.

I hate that song 'Mr. Bojangles.' It drives me up the wall, since it's not about him at all. He was never a bum in jail.

Studio chief Winfield Sheehan wanted me to remain a little girl. If I lost my innocence, he said, it would show in my eyes.

The idea of being with my peers at a real school seemed much more exciting than making movies.