“In Eastern culture, people see ghosts, people talk about ghosts, it’s just accepted. And in Western culture it’s just not.”

I like to organize. I have an opinion. I like to get stuff done.

I don’t put weight on fame, and having people around me just because I am famous makes me feel really bad about myself.

The time I’m not spending with my kid has to be worth it.

Guys are stimulated easily. They are easy to manipulate. All you have to do is wear a sexy outfit.

I basically went out with any guy who asked me because hardly anyone ever asked me out.

As a girl, I was always told I was nasty or dirty if I was sexual in any way. Americans are such prudes.

I share the same advice that my mom gave me – stay hydrated and sleep well. And that being a beautiful person on the inside is what really matters.

The secret to using power is not to use it. Just having it is enough.

Honor has to say “please” and “thank you.” Manners are really important.

When I went from girl body to woman body and all of a sudden I had tits and hips and a little tummy and natural fat in places, I freaked out.

My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything – even if you have no clue what you’re doing.

It feels like I’m starting to come into my own in terms of where I want to go artistically, toward more complicated, interesting characters.

It’s not always so great to be objectified, but I don’t feel I have much of a choice right now. I’m young in my career. I know I have to strike when the iron is hot.

I get all these screenplays that start ‘Tawnya is in the shower. The water streams down her naked, perky breasts’. I don’t think this is happening to Natalie Portman.

Your husband or your wife is the only person you can really choose to be your family and to have unconditional love with them.

I don’t think it serves any minority or underrepresented group to be coddled. Because the world won’t coddle you. So I actually believe in tough love, hard truths, black and white.

Art has no other object than to set aside the symbols of practical utility, the generalities that are conventionally and socially accepted, everything in fact which masks reality from us, in order to set us face to face with reality itself.

Every genius I have met could be classified as crazy by most people. They possess the highest level of sanity that us people find difficult to understand and accept.

Come forward as servants of Islam, organise the people economically, socially, educationally and politically and I am sure that you will be a power that will be accepted by everybody.

Innate in nearly every artistic nature is a wanton, treacherous penchant for accepting injustice when it creates beauty and showing sympathy for and paying homage to aristocratic privilege.

Sit with a feeling don’t share it.

My goals for the next part of my life: Whatever I’m handed, I’m gonna make the most of it. If it’s good for me, I’m gonna take it.

I’ve definitely accepted the fact that I’m not normal.

My mother used to tell me, No matter what they ask you, always say yes. You can learn later.