You know, you're only as happy as your least happy child. So if your kids aren't okay, you're not good.

A mother who is obsessing about being thin and dieting and exercising is not going to be a very good mother.

I knew that my newfound activism and feminism was going to improve my acting, because I was seeing things not just in very narrow, individual, kind of Freudian terms, but seeing them in a much broader, societal way that was going to deepen and enrich my talent.

I think the Internet and technology in general has changed everything. We can see it overseas even more with the Arab Spring and so forth.

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.

"Strong" to people means "real." It means you believe that's a person who exists, as opposed to some two-dimensional depiction of women.

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.