Iconic Actress, 90, Revealed She Never Said Her Most Famous Quote originally appeared on Parade.
“Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.”
If that famous quote sounds familiar, it’s probably because it’s become a permanent fixture in popular culture over the last 64 years. First published in 1961, the memorable catchphrase was spoken by none other than the legendary actress, Sophia Loren. But, was it?
In 1961, Loren, 90, was interviewed by Dora Jane Hamblin for an issue of LIFE magazine. The piece was an expansive feature profiling the burgeoning movie star.
“In spite of her great success she has not soaked up much of the grand manner,” wrote Hamblin. “She eats everything in sight, washed down with red wine, and when teased about her appetite narrows her eyes in her best temptress look, swivels her shoulders provocatively and says in a Mae West voice, ‘Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.'”
Hamblin went on to characterize Loren as a surprising, yet refreshing contradiction: an icon-in-the-making with access to excess, yet goes to bed early, washes her own hair and prefers to walk around barefoot over wearing shoes. But, it was that simple seven-word sentence that seemed to make the most lasting impact.
Three years later, the quote appeared again, this time in a syndicated feature for Family Weekly, penned by Peer J. Oppenheimer.
“While Sophia readily admits she is a bit overweight, it doesn’t worry her. Another well-endowed Italian actress once remarked that Sophia had a neck like a giraffe. When told about it, Sophia smiled, ‘I like animals, don’t you?'” he wrote. “Another time, when cautioned about her love for spaghetti (which she likes to wash down with red wine), Sophia came back with, ‘Don’t you know that everything you see I owe to spaghetti?'”
Every once in a while, the quote makes the rounds on social media, and it isn’t hard to see why. It’s bold and brazen, rebellious and self-assured. It’s meaning is essentially universal.
And, of course, fans everywhere want to give credit where credit is due, attributing the quote to the legendary Loren. After all, it’s been published multiple times, so she definitely said it, right?
Well, not necessarily.
In an interview with The New York Times, Loren was asked directly if she actually said the quote so frequently credited to her. Her response?
“Non è vero! It’s not true! It’s such a silly thing. I owe it to spaghetti, no, no. Completely made up.”
So, who is to be believed? Loren? Or Hamblin, the journalist who put that particular turn of phrase on the map 64 years ago?
Disappointingly, there’s no way to know for sure.
Dora Jane Hamblin, who not only contributed to LIFE magazine but also oversaw its coverage of the 1960 Summer Olympics and interviewed the families of the astronauts from the Apollo program for her book, First On the Moon, passed away in 1993.
To this day, Loren denies having ever said those seven words that spread like wildfire.
Iconic Actress, 90, Revealed She Never Said Her Most Famous Quote first appeared on Parade on Jul 17, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
