Reese Witherspoon

And you know, life is a constant learning experience. I learn so much with my kids. I read tons of books and study what they’re studying.

I love books.

It’s fun to do a comedy and hook people in and then hoodwink them into watching a serious movie. I like to lead in with the comedy and then hit them over the head with a drama.

What gets me is how many women – young women – give up their power and their sense of self. Thinking they’re going to get more out of life if they take off their clothes and objectify themselves, instead of functioning on the principle that they’re smart and capable, that you can be an actress and not be on the covers of T&A magazines. I’m flabbergasted by how many legitimate actresses do that. It blows my mind.

[On struggling to be taken seriously in the industry] Even now, people want to marginalize me. They want to attribute all my success to teenagers seeing my movies. I really resent it when people say, “It’s just a genre film; it’s a teen comedy.” It takes a lot of work to make these things have heart and resonance so they’re not just empty, disposable confections. But I don’t give a damn about other people’s perceptions, because I’ll show them. For women in this business, ascendancy is always a battle. It’s scrape and claw. I just try to stick to my guns and respect myself. I want to take the ingenues aside and say, “Value yourself! It’s O.K. if you have opinions!

It’s funny that it all becomes about clothes. It’s bizarre. You work your butt off and then you win an award and it’s all about your dress. You can’t get away from it.

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.

Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.

Individualism is what makes cooperation worth living.

People are used to being coddled.

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.

Positive anything is better than negative thinking.

There is no greater impotence in all the world like knowing you are right and that the wave of the world is wrong, yet the wave crashes upon you.

There it is: it doesn’t make any difference who we are or what we are, there’s always somebody to look down on! somebody to hold in light esteem, somebody to be indifferent about.

Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.

The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.

In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.

Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn’t want me to be too famous too young.

Invention is the mother of necessity.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.