Jane Fonda

I would have given up acting in a minute. I didn't like how it set me apart from other people.

I am able to talk about my life in a way that helps other women - and men, but mostly women - understand their own life. I feel real proud of that. And then the fact that my children are okay. You know, you're only as happy as your least happy child. So if your kids aren't okay, you're not good.

I was a chameleon, the woman men wanted me to be.

All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.

I don't want to make a cheap analysis, but when you have, like I did, a father incapable of showing emotion, who spends his life telling you that no one will love you if you aren't perfect, it leaves scars.

Think about it: Reducing crime and poverty and ensuring that we have an educated, stable work force has a direct effect on you and me and the future of our country.

My childhood was influenced by the roles my father played in his movies. Whether Abraham Lincoln or Tom Joad in the Grapes of Wrath, his characters communicated certain values which I try to carry with me to this day.

I remember saying goodbye to my father the night he left to join the Navy. He didn't have to. He was older than other servicemen and had a family to support but he wanted to be a part of the fight against fascism, not just make movies about it. I admired this about him.

You don’t learn from successes; you don’t learn from awards; you don’t learn from celebrity; you only learn from wounds and scars and mistakes and failures. And that’s the truth.

I have a confidence about my life that comes from standing tall on my own two feet.

I don't want my wrinkles taken away - I don't want to look like everyone else.

We're not meant to be perfect. It took me a long time to learn that.

As I started getting older, I realized, 'I'm so happy!' I didn't expect this! I wasn't happy when I was young.

Perfection is a toxic desire. We are not supposed to be perfect. The challenge is not to be perfect, it's to be whole.

Lee Strasberg told me I had talent. Real talent. It was the first time that anyone, except my father--who had to say so--told me I was good. At anything. It was a turning point in my life. I went to bed thinking about acting. I woke up thinking about acting. It was like the roof had come off my life!

I'm a very brave person. I can go to North Vietnam, I can challenge my government, but I can't challenge the man I'm with if means I'm going to end up alone.

Look what scares you in the face and try to understand it. Empathy is revolutionary.

In this country, the only way a minority can get anything done is to make a little noise.

One part of wisdom is knowing what you don't need anymore and letting it go.

The glow and energy of the healthy woman is the ultimate beauty, the only beauty that will last.

If our work is stimulating and rewarding, if it pushes us to grow...we become more valuable human beings.