"It's sheer torture. I have to be up with the chickens every day and go to work on my body. I hate it, but I do it"
About this Quote
The subtext is a little sharper than self-deprecation. Gabor frames her body as a job site, not a temple. That choice of wording makes the maintenance of appearance sound like labor imposed by an external market, one that still relies on women presenting effortlessness while privately doing the work. “I hate it, but I do it” is the tell: not motivation-poster grit, but compliance with a system that rewards the results and barely acknowledges the cost.
Context matters. Gabor’s image traded on poise, wit, and European elegance in an era when actresses were expected to look perpetually camera-ready, long before “wellness” became a consumer-friendly euphemism. She’s giving you the backstage truth with a grin: the performance isn’t just on screen. It starts at dawn, and it’s not optional.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Discipline |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gabor, Eva. (2026, January 17). It's sheer torture. I have to be up with the chickens every day and go to work on my body. I hate it, but I do it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-sheer-torture-i-have-to-be-up-with-the-67322/
Chicago Style
Gabor, Eva. "It's sheer torture. I have to be up with the chickens every day and go to work on my body. I hate it, but I do it." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-sheer-torture-i-have-to-be-up-with-the-67322/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's sheer torture. I have to be up with the chickens every day and go to work on my body. I hate it, but I do it." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-sheer-torture-i-have-to-be-up-with-the-67322/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.





