“My mother never really thought I could become anything.”

If I hear a record once, I usually never listen to it again. I rarely listen to music – unless it’s Billie Holiday.

Oh God, don’t envy me, I have my own pains.

Being a celebrity is a no-win situation. If you get along with your co-star you’re having an affair, if you don’t you’re having a feud.

I just don’t like the idea of her singing my songs. Who the hell does she thinks she is? The world doesn’t need another Streisand! (on Diana Ross)

I can take any truth; just don’t lie to me.

Men are allowed to have passion and commitment for their work… a woman is allowed that feeling for a man, but not her work.

Why is it men are permitted to be obsessed about their work, but women are only permitted to be obsessed about men?

Art does not exist only to entertain, but also to challenge one to think, to provoke, even to disturb, in a constant search for truth.

I wish I could be like Shaw who once read a bad review of one of his plays, called the critic and said: ‘I have your review in front of me and soon it will be behind me.’

Life’s too short. Start with Dessert!

I don’t like the word ‘superstar’. It has ridiculous implications. These words – star, stupor, superstar, stupid star – they’re misleading. It’s a myth.

There is nothing more important in life than love.

I worked in a Chinese restaurant.

A human being is only interesting if he’s in contact with himself.

I got sent to a health camp when I was about 6 years old, and we all had to wear the same starchy blue uniform. The lady who took care of me after school knit me a burgundy sweater. It was the only thing that gave me any individuality.

I’m a work in progress.

What enables me to believe in anything is hope.

I think women sign on for some ideal when they get married, and when they realise they haven’t got anything close to what they want, they bury their disappointment.

if I was defended they simply said I had been defended. But I don’t think they have taken any effort at maligning me or maligning gays or making any effort to give to people anything that wasn’t news.

Anything you can do needs to be done, so pick up the tool of your choice and get started.

The more I resist anything, the stronger it gets.

A gun fires of its own accord and a man is shot. And a broken-down old house no good for anything but chasing kids has to trip over us. Blind accidents. What can you do against blind accidents?

I’m never absolutely sure of anything, and I don’t want to be. You’re either right and you’ll pull through, or you’re not. We’re never going to be right about everything, and we’ve certainly been wrong.

How can you think that that will evoke the past? It doesn’t even have to evoke anything, but anyway, it’s how we’re living. It’s this moment where nobody has to immediately think too much about how things are being documented. It’s a great time.