Never give up, trust your instincts!

Obviously, it wasn't meant for me to die of cancer at 40. Every day my life surprises me, just like my cancer diagnosis surprised me. But you roll with it. That's our job as humans.

Now it's our turn to kick some tail!

The common misconception is that as an actress you have to learn what you're doing. No, you just have to make the audience think you've learned it.

I'm an old-school, embarrassing Joni Mitchell fan. Her music made a hook in my soul and hasn't let go for all these years. I even sing her songs as lullabies to my kids.

I don't have examples in my life of people who are all good or bad; I have deeply loved many people who are both, and I relate to those kinds of people on a far greater level.

But I've always been hard to cast, I've never been an ingenue, I've never been the romantic lead. I'm an actor; give me the script and I do what I do and hope it's good.

I was a young kid from Long Island who wanted to do something large with her life, so I can relate to that.

I've never been all that interested or aware of what people are thinking about me or saying about me. I think that has kept me safest and sanest.

One of the ways I think I gain fodder for characters is by watching people.

I sort of love reading the scripts and going, 'Oh wow, what a great idea. I never would have thought of that.

After all, I was once like you are, but being the right sort I got where I am.

I’m just a soul whose intentions are good, ’“ he sang to the crabs and the spiders and the palmetto beetles and the lizards and the night. ‘“Oh lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.

Hard times define one's character.

Since we are mortal friendships are best kept to a moderate level rather than sharing the very depths of our souls.

Sometimes people walk into plays by accident - they don't even know what they're looking at they just think to give it a chance. That can be the beginning of a long friendship.

The single greatest invention man ever conceived in the dollar bill, because I don't want to know the conversion rate for coconuts.

I've hung out in the writer's room a few times, but the fact is we've got such a good writing staff, I don't want to get my peanut butter fingerprints on anything.

There can be nothing more abominable than religion.

I will speak daggers to her, but use none.

I was played the villain so much because I was bigger and stronger than most, and they cast me as the villain everywhere I went.