I feel like this whole idea of wanting something that you don't really have is also very American in a way.

Everything big-budget or stereotypical I was offered after 'Slumdog Millionaire' was a huge no-no.

Young women who want an education will not be stopped

I'm proud of myself. I like the way I'm made.

As the worlds getting filled with temptations, were getting a bit frivolous and a bit fickle.

I'll never forget where I'm from. It's essential to remain humble and evolving.

More than anything else, if you can spend a great deal of dedicated time observing people without judgment, that can be a great way of learning.

The only thing I can pride myself on is making a really good breakfast.

One of my favorite actors is Javier Bardem, he always challenges his previous roles, and basically does the unexpected.

I think it's important to be extremely proud of one's origins, especially when you are a foreign actress with ethnic features.

Here's another secret - I have really big feet. I'm a size ten, so every opportunity I get I buy myself shoes.

We pick our friends not only because they are kind and enjoyable company, but also, perhaps more importantly, because they understand us for who we think we are.

True love cannot be found where it truly does not exist nor can it be hidden where it truly does.

When I'm sitting in the church alone, I can hear singing of the old people. I can hear their singing and I can hear their praying, and sometimes I hum one of their songs.

Cynicism is the only form in which base souls approach honesty.

Some books I've kept because the binding is beautiful - I'm unlikely ever to read my grandmother's copy of 'The Life of Lord Nelson.' I'm addicted to secondhand bookshops.

The body should not just be something you see. It's also the inside of it. It's frightening and abstract and much more than pretty or not pretty. The shape of it is boring.

Yes, but . . .” She hesitated, her gaze finally coming to me. “I survived because I fell in love.” With you was unspoken.

The more sophisticated we get, the more advanced our buildings and vehicles become, the more vulnerable we are.

I wanted to write about what we were doing at the French Laundry, the recipes and the stories.

What do you wear on a running machine? I can't bring myself to wear flat shoes.