"I was never the girl next door."

"[Jerry Tibbs was] the one who got me wearing bangs. For years I had my hair parted down the middle in a ponytail, tucked down around the sides. But he said to me, 'Bettie, you've got a very high forehead. I think you'd look good if you cut some bangs to cover it.' Well, I went and cut the bangs, and I've been wearing them ever since. They say it's my trademark."

"I was never one who was squeamish about nudity. I don't believe in being promiscuous about it, but several times I thought of going to a nudist colony."

"The only person I did bondage for was Irving Klaw and his sister Paula. Usually they would shoot four or five models every Saturday. He wouldn't pay for the regular pictures unless we did some bondage. So I did bondage shots to get paid for the other photos."

"I love to swim in the nude and roam around the house in the nude. You're just as free as a bird!"

"I don't know what they mean by an icon. I never thought of myself as being that. It seems strange to me. I was just modeling, thinking of as many different poses as possible. I made more money modeling than being a secretary. I had a lot of free time. You could go back to work after an absence of a few months. I couldn't do that as a secretary."

"My favorite actress of all times is Bette Davis in Dark Victory. I have seen it six or seven times and I still cry."

"I like being outdoors. I like to go cavorting in the nude in the forests. It is just another world. To take sunbaths in the nude."

"Sex is a part of love. You shouldn't go around doing it unless you are in love.."

"Paula was one of the nicest women I've ever known in my life-bar none. Only Paula was allowed to tie us up. She was very gentle, caring and considerate. She never tied any ropes too tight. She was very sweet."

"I never kept up with the fashions. I believed in wearing what I thought looked good on me."

"It makes me feel wonderful that people still care for me... that I have so many fans among young people, who write to me and tell me I have been an inspiration."