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As a not-particularly-religious adult who has probably gotten everything out of crystals that I can, I’m always on the hunt for spiritual guidance—whether it comes from the little message written on the side of the tea box (sometimes they’re profound!) or the recollections of an internationally famous celebrity. Luckily, one such celebrity—none other than Mme. Barbra Streisand—recently released her hotly anticipated memoir, and it’s a font of wisdom; some of it unintentional, perhaps, but all of it gold.
As I made my way through Streisand’s lengthy tome, I took note of all the pieces of offhand advice and guidance she offered—much of which is as useful to a random blogger as it presumably has been to the EGOT herself. Find it all below.
On teeth:
Moral: Care about your prospective partners’ oral hygiene! But not in a classist way. (Also, love the Jim goss.)
On honoring commitments:
Moral: Okay, I need to stop flaking on people.
On appreciating the cheap seats:
Moral: This kind of just sounds like something famous people say, but TBH, I bet it’s true.
On rebuffing unwanted advances:
Moral: Icon behavior.
On what really matters in a relationship:
Moral: Not sure, but the fact that this observation comes after a young Elliott Gould sends Barbra a package of corned beef, pastrami, pickles, and coleslaw with a note saying “From the Deli Lama” really makes the anecdote.
On economic style:
Moral: It seems like this is God (or Barbra, or maybe they’re the same entity?) telling me to buy the gingham Ganni dress I want.
On the importance of opposites attracting:
Moral: I still want a biopic miniseries about Gould and Streisand’s marriage.
On the perks of fame:
Moral: The idea of Barbra Streisand snacking on some Triscuits and cheese while shopping in a shut-down Chanel is so endearing to me.
On standing up for yourself:
Moral: We all need some of this energy.
On art appreciation:
Moral: This one has so many implications, even outside of the art world!
On substance use:
Moral: Agree to disagree, but I respect the thought.
On not winding up with the wrong guy:
Moral: Not only is this an important distinction to make, but it is so iconic that Streisand is talking about Pierre Trudeau here.
On the fallibility of nostalgia (and meeting Bella Abzug):
Moral: I love any knish-based life philosophy.
On setting boundaries:
Moral: In the hallowed words of Rihanna, bitch better have my money!
On revisiting old flings:
Moral: Good for her.
