I think where men are credited for being strong, women are divas. I just think it's such a cop out.

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.

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

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.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

Respect can be offered and is deserved by a homeless man and so by a president.

Making love to a person in their sleep is the only guarantee they'll wake up with a smile on their face.

You cannot force the Now. — But can you neither condemn nor justify and yet be extraordinarily alive as you walk on? You can never invite the wind, but you must leave the window open.

When the messenger arrives and says 'Don't shoot the messenger,' it's a good idea to be prepared to shoot the messenger, just in case.

Or if Virtue feeble were, Heav'n itself would stoop to her.

Embarrassingly for Obama, it appeared that his administration had jumped the gun on banning the bullets.

If I depended on the critics' judgment and recognition, I'd never have gone into the motion-picture business.

If our presidents, or potential presidents, don't know this or don't articulate [an America ideal], that's a blown opportunity. The president can teach as well as lead.