“I have smuggled so many ingredients across so many borders, like shallot confit from Thailand, or a new sauce from New Orleans not approved by the FDA.”

I’m offended that I can’t go to the store like that.

Martha Stewart’s my idol.

I can’t believe we’re being paid to live in New York.

Fragrance is a bit of a selfish gift because it’s comforting when you’re near someone and you recognize their smell.

My mom taught me this really great beauty tip. She used to put oil or mayonnaise on the bottom half of her hair before she would shower.

In high school, there are so many cliques. You’re never safe.

I can read a four-page scene once and have it memorized. It’s a skill you learn in school: disposable cramming.

It’s difficult to wear such high Louboutins and also freestyle rap.

I need good friends who can say, ‘I love you to death, but you look terrible in that, and you need to change right now.’

Often you see people on the red carpet with tight up-dos, but that makes me feel stiff.

When I moved to New York, I started switching fragrances. Between different seasons I would change fragrance, or if I was going out for a big fancy night versus going out in the daytime. But I also found that I was changing and growing so much.

People gossip. People are insecure, so they talk about other people so that they won’t be talked about.

I always love somebody who makes me laugh, who’s fun to be with.

Family is at the heart of everything I do.

I just want Beyonce to be the mother of my children.

I’ve never been a big fan of gossip. Being a victim of it, I knew how much it hurt.

Paul ripped off John’s right arm and used it to slap John across the face, then he said, “Those’re horrible, mate, just horrible, y’know.

Waiting is a huge part of being a refugee. You’re waiting at borders to get across. You’re waiting for transportation.

Music is, of course, a universal emotional experience, cutting across cultures and languages. I studied piano for ten years as a child and consider that experience one of the most valuable in my life.

That’s a bit like asking a man crawling across the Sahara whether he would prefer Perrier or Malvern water.

The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you.

I let a tarantula walk across my hand, and I ate rat soup.

Don’t I yearn for the days when a draw across the throat made f**king resolution.

I know there’s a big bad world out there, but I rarely come across it.