The thing about the classics it that they are such great characters, they have a great deal of depth and different layers to them. I always find that very stimulating to play.

I love watching Hollywood movies - I just don't know if I'd be happy doing a Jurassic Park.

I wasn't tempted to go into academia for a second.

I'm a mother, so I instantly identified with what that would be like and the horror of that.

I actually didn't like Jane Austen. I was more into the Brontes. They were so wild and passionate. I thought there was something a bit tame about Austen.

Life never gives you what you want or need just because you have a burning desire for it. Life gives you what you seek, knock, and ask for.

If you fill your mind with wonderful thoughts, there can be no room left for doubt.

Truly, the only stupid people I've ever met, the most absolutely clueless, are the very people that produce television.

Don't stay in a bad situation - whether it is a relationship or a job - out of fear of failure. It's not a failure to walk away and choose to be happy. It takes a lot of courage.

There has never been a great 'silent' defense

The conditions that direct the order of . . . the living world . . . are marked by their persistence in improving the birthright of successive generations.

The finest victory is to conquer one's own heart.

Everything happens for a reason; I'm a big believer in that.

Corporate conglomerates run without regulation do not work in the service of society, and run reckless and unchecked whenever possible.

My mother named me after a miracle of nature: Waris means desert flower. The desert flower blooms in a barren environment where few living things can survive.