“Well, the thing about great fictional characters from literature, and the reason that they’re constantly turned into characters in movies, is that they completely speak to what makes people human.”

My mum says that I was born 45, and I do remember at six thinking that I should be earning my own living.

At this particular time, I probably am more comfortable with myself. Just now I’m having a lovely time.

In the movie, you’re moving, you have personality, you don’t have to be great looking.

I enjoy doing an action scene. I’m not a purist as far as films go. If you want to do sex, great. As long as you do it well.

The thing I love about acting is getting to change and look at different people in different lives and do different projects.

Envy is the last thing that my parents feel.

I cook. I go to farmers markets in London and cook really good sort of organic foods.

I do think that acting is such an unpredictable job, and you’re away a lot. If you’re dating somebody outside the industry, it can be hard to understand that.

If I don’t do this film. I’ll be acting in corsets for the next 20 years.

If only I wasn’t an atheist, I could get away with anything. You’d just ask for forgiveness and then you’d be forgiven. It sounds much better than having to live with guilt.

I don’t think that you can fake warmth. You can fake lust, jealousy, anger; those are all quite easy. But actual, genuine warmth? I don’t think you can fake it.

I tried college for three months but I was desperately unhappy. I just wanted to perform. I was getting straight As but I had no friends and cried every day.

Because it does feel important to say it really doesn’t matter what shape you are.

It’s good to know that other people think differently, and that’s what makes the characters interesting.

A lot of times in cinema today the women are overly sentimental, so I constantly try to do the opposite. I like strident women.

And we’re fortunate if we have parents who are great and loving and inspiring. But, unfortunately, there are people who don’t have that.

Thought creates character.

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.

For me the most important thing is being a really good person, and that doesn’t depend on what you do on stage, that depends on how you treat people when you’re offstage.

Cry Baby is just a character in this world that I’m trying to create, and the music videos are really important to me, and I’ve fought to obviously get all of them approved.

Lil’ Kim is my stage name and a character I use when I’m out working my livelihood.

The end of knowledge is wisdom The end of culture is perfection The end of wisdom is freedom The end of education is character. And character consists of eagerness to renounce one’s selfish greed.

Character is the most precious gift of education.

I run my operation like a family business. I sign every check, every receipt, I’m not tough, but I’m strong.