How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from All About Eve.
Quote #1
EVE: It got so that I couldn't tell the real from the unreal except that the unreal seemed more real to me... I'm talking a lot of gibberish, aren't I?
We think this might be one of Eve's many stellar performances. She knows perfectly well the difference between the real and the unreal, and she uses that to her advantage in order to manipulate people into not knowing what is true. She's presenting herself as just a star-struck dreamer in love with make-believe.
Quote #2
EVE: I mean, you haven't had a minute alone yet, and…well, I could take care of everything here and meet you at the gate with the ticket... if you'd like.
Can you be any more thoughtful than sweetly allowing the lovely couple to have a few moments alone? Here Eve finagles her way into getting a job as Margo's assistant. It's probably the least manipulative of her techniques, because she is useful, and she's good at what she does. However, her ulterior motive is to go from managing Margo's life, to having Margo's life for herself.
Quote #3
ADDISON: Eve was incredibly modest. She insisted that no credit was due her, that Lloyd felt as he did only because she read lines exactly as he had written them.
Eve's alleged "modesty" is definitely one of her most effective tactics. She knows which side her bread is buttered on, and it's buttered on the playwright's side.