Happy songs are very difficult to write. How many truly great upbeat songs are there?

It's much easier to write when you're sad. But you can end up isolated and depressed because you almost need to put yourself in that situation to have that angst to write from.

Ignore reality, there's nothing you can do about it.

I can understand why some people might look at me and say, 'What's she got to be depressed about?' I get that a lot in Britain, where mental health issues seem to be a big taboo.

I'm such a chameleon. I never get bored.

Saving animals is as simple as choosing synthetic alternatives instead of real fur.

If I start feeling down I'll gorge myself on pasta. That usually does the trick. It's the Italian blood in me.

Enjoy every moment: you never know when things might change.

It was only cool to have blond hair and be a surfer chick [in Sydney]. I could learn how to surf, but I still looked Italian. It took me a long time to realize that was a good thing.

Isolation is a big part of songwriting.

I wasn't born with a natural talent for songwriting.

He knew too well the sting of loneliness and how over time it stole you away, piece by piece, until a mere shell remained.

It's nice when people love you....for you.

The Entity who brought the universe into existence must be a Personal Being, for only a person can design with anywhere near this degree of precision.

Wendy, Wendy, when you are sleeping in your silly bed you might be flying about with me saying funny things to the stars.

The reward for playing jazz is playing jazz.

I begin to love this little creature, and to anticipate his birth as a fresh twist to a knot, which I do not wish to untie.

We too often love things and use people when we should be using things and loving people.

I've got like a week and a half left, all bets are off.

You don't have to make things harder then they have to be just to prove a point.

I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story.