“My mother told me I should be a secretary, but I wanted to be an actress from when I was very young.”

Doubt can motivate you, so don’t be afraid of it. Confidence and doubt are at two ends of the scale, and you need both. They balance each other out.

A man who graduated high in his class at Yale Law School and made partnership in a top law firm would be celebrated. But a woman who accomplishes this is treated with suspicion.

The audience is the barometer of the truth.

When I sing, people shut up.

And remember, this was a president (George W. Bush) who was selected by the Supreme Court rather than the people.

They’re called ‘angels’ because they’re in heaven until the reviews come out.

I go by instinct – I don’t worry about experience.

Why is it people who want the truth never believe it when they hear it?

A large part of me is pure nebbish – plain, dull, uninteresting. There’s a more flamboyant part, too. Obviously.

I arrived in Hollywood without having my nose fixed, my teeth capped, or my name changed. That is very gratifying to me.

I also have intense relationships with furniture… probably because we practically had none when I was growing up.

You don’t ask a man, ‘Do you want to be in control [of your job]?’ You assume he wants control. Why would a woman be any different?

Thank God there were a couple of people in my life who said, “Go on, go on – you can do it!

I’ve considered having my nose fixed. But I didn’t trust anyone enough. If I could do it myself with a mirror.

Why am I so famous? What am I doing right? What are the others doing wrong?

I’m not weird, just different from people who aren’t different.

It’s bad enough that I’m an actress that wants to be recognized as an actress. Instead, I am known for doing game shows.

There is no reason why marriage should necessarily compel an actress to forego her career.

Film has always been hard for me, I’m basically a stage actress. I never felt comfortable in front of the camera.

At least I’m not playing other people for a change. It’s a very odd place to be… I feel I’m an actress who sings a bit.

Right now I’m the most famous silent movie actress in the world and I want to keep that for me. So I hope there’s not going to be any other silent movies.

You know, acting is very fascinating. But being an actress is not, because you become so concentrated on yourself.

I’d started going to acting classes at 14, played ‘Medea’ at 15 and really wanted to be a classical actress.

I only began to sing because I couldn’t get a job as an actress.