Meryl Streep

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."

"You have to embrace getting older. Life is either getting better or you're dying."

"I think the most liberating thing I did in my early acting career was to stop trying to figure out what they wanted me to do, and just going in and being who I am."

"Trying to anticipate every potential objection has become an absolute mania."

"You can't fake anything. If you fake it, people know."

"I'm thrilled to have the kind of career that I have."

"Acting is a way to be vulnerable."

"I have an affinity for the old, the worn, the weathered."

"The iron-clad rule of the world is that only the mediocre are always at their best."

"It's important to feel beautiful."

"Just try new things. Don't be afraid."

"I'm interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more aggressive he becomes."

"I think being an actress is more about the adventure."

"What makes you an actor is that people recognize you're not acting."

"Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame."

"Some people read things the second time that they missed the first time around."

"I spent my whole life not fitting in anywhere."

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

"It's fabulous to be over seventy."

"You can't live in a culture until you understand it."

"Everyone has a sense of humor. If you don't laugh, you're dead inside."

"I feel like my fate has been to play these characters that are, sort of, against the grain."

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

"Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic."

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."

"I have my pride. I'm a very proud person."

"There are people who are drawn to you and there are people who are drawn away from you."

"Crying is good. Crying can be very cathartic."

"The poetical interpretation of religion is very close to Judaism."

"I think it's better to approach life with humor and irony."