The most incredible beauty and the most satisfying way of life come from affirming your own uniqueness.

I am still baffled by those who feel that criticizing America is unpatriotic, a view increasingly being adopted in the United States since 9/11 as an excuse to render suspect what has always been an American right. An active, brave, outspoken (and heard) citizenry is essential to a healthy democracy.

I always tried, in the books I wrote, to make it clear: Thin is not the goal. But I was thin. So no matter what I said, the subliminal message was, "You have to look a certain way." And I'm not happy about playing into that.

I feel like my honesty gives people the freedom to talk about things they wouldn't otherwise.

Women are rising. And I think that's all the violence and war - it could be the last gasp of the patriarchy, actually.

Seek women mentors. If you're a businesswoman, look at the TEDx conferences. There's a lot of businesswomen that speak on there. I find them extremely inspiring.

I'm not sure that I would have become a Christian if I had continued to live in Hollywood because the notion wouldn't have occurred to me.