I never liked the bar scene. I tried to like it. I would give it a try every three or four months. I'd think, tonight I'm going out. But I never met anybody in that circumstance.

I think ties are great and Kathy Bates is an actress whose work I've admired tremendously over many years, and I feel a certain kinship with her, we both came from an extensive theater background.

Acting gave me the opportunity to do outrageous things. It allowed me to be sad, happy, angry and lustful, even if it was just vicariously.

I certainly do get at the end of my rope at times. We all do.

I was always much more shy. All I knew was that I loved to act. But I don't know about the other part of it. I'm not sure I had the chutzpah to go and prove yourself.

I was a very good girl for a long time, that's what really drew me to acting. The stage was the perfect place to be outrageous, to be sad, to be angry, to be all these different things.

It's such a great feeling to make people laugh. I know I've made people cry or want to slit their wrists, but to make people laugh is a very intoxicating, wonderful thing.

I'm hard to pin down. I tend to look different in films.

I don't have a political bone in my body.

Once I got to high school and auditioned for a play and got in, I thought this was really what I was looking for. Once that had got cleared up, from 13 on, that was it.

I think the people who cast films tend to think of me in regard to strong women with integrity and a lot of it has been very good.

You are giving me words to write a song and that's even better than butterflies.

If you love me, feed my sheep.

That's been hard being away from the family, because Washington can be lonely. When you tune out of all the activity, that's like, you're alone.

Go down to the Republican headquarters. They ain't got a single black working there. Not one.

After spending more than 17 years playing for the NBA, in the summertime, I always came back to community service and different basketball clinics.

I go fishing not to find myself but to lose myself.

Once I decide to do something, I can't have people telling me I can't. If there's a roadblock, you jump over it, walk around it, crawl under it.

Destiny isn't immutable. You can change your fate. But I'd say the only way to do it is with hard, intelligent work and long-term dedication to a goal.

Even a poor man can receive honors.

There's no Walter Cronkite to give you the final word each evening.