As an actor, you're sort of the court-appointed lawyer for the character.

I have tender, romantic associations with upstate New York.

Music is what our feelings sound like.

There are women who make things better, there are women who change things, there are women who make things happen, who make a difference. I want to be one of those women.

In the quiet moments, the discoveries are made.

Your soul either feels lifted by something that you read, or it feels squashed by it.

No role is more challenging, rewarding and inspiring than my real-life role as a mom and a wife.

There's no wrong way to experience a film.

Am I ambitious? I used to be afraid of that word but now I think ambition is a good thing.

I think I always try to be accommodating and open and available and proving for my director. I love to give as many takes as they want. I love to give them as many choices as they want.

Doubt is the middle position between knowledge and ignorance. It encompasses cynicism but also genuine questioning.

Remember to view yourself and your humanness with a kind heart.

The flush toilet, more than any single invention, has 'civilized' us in a way that religion and law could never accomplish.

Inside every lawyer is the wreck of a poet.

So, I don't know what is going to happen when the CD comes out, how well it will sell, etc. But, from a personal point of view, it was a very worthwhile endeavor.

You must do as your people do. If my people are poor, I must be poor. People ask me, 'Why don't you find a personal coach or a private car?' I can't. Then I won't be part of my people.

There is always room for change, but you have to be open to that change.

Happiness is not an individual matter. When you are able to bring relief, or bring back the smile to one person, not only that person profits, but you also profit.

If a man lives to any considerable age, it can not be denied that he laments his imprudences, but I notice he often laments his youth a deal more bitterly and with a more genuine intonation.

Life and sports cannot be separated; they are one.

Today's Declaration: I focus on what I want, not on what i don't want.