It was only cool to have blond hair and be a surfer chick [in Sydney]. I could learn how to surf, but I still looked Italian. It took me a long time to realize that was a good thing.

It's much easier to write when you're sad. But you can end up isolated and depressed because you almost need to put yourself in that situation to have that angst to write from.

Ignore reality, there's nothing you can do about it.

Happy songs are very difficult to write. How many truly great upbeat songs are there?

I can understand why some people might look at me and say, 'What's she got to be depressed about?' I get that a lot in Britain, where mental health issues seem to be a big taboo.

I'm such a chameleon. I never get bored.

Saving animals is as simple as choosing synthetic alternatives instead of real fur.

If I start feeling down I'll gorge myself on pasta. That usually does the trick. It's the Italian blood in me.

Enjoy every moment: you never know when things might change.

Isolation is a big part of songwriting.

I wasn't born with a natural talent for songwriting.

At the same time, preparation is important to playoff success.

You don’t need to be burned out to go on hiatus.

My ambition from the very beginning was to make a good part for myself, something differently to what lately I've been doing.

More and more, I tend to read history. I often find it more up to date than the daily newspapers.

The need for raising the awareness of this shameful chapter in U.S. history is more apparent than ever.

Women have come a long way, but it never fails to sadden me when I see younger women saying we have to overcome some obstacles.

If you abandon the present moment, you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.

The hawthorn bush, with seats beneath the shade, For talking age and whispering lovers made.

Even if I think in English, it's more a language of acting than French.

The most potent elements in a work of art are, often, its silences.