Meryl Streep

"I feel much more affinity with acting in the real world than I ever did in a staged environment."

"There is no prescription in the human condition for a certain age."

"The interesting thing is what lies beneath the surface of people."

"You can learn to behave like a human rather than reacting like an animal."

"I'm sticking with you because history has already shown me that you're worth the effort."

"I could stream the whole of my thinking while I'm acting."

"What makes you a good actress is something that you can't acquire or teach."

"Children are the most authentic people in the world."

"I think the most important thing is to keep learning and trying new things."

"Our mutual objective is to reach into the hearts of people."

"Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind."

"I think talent is something that is instinctual and that you are born with."

"The moments that you think are permanent turn out to be fleeting."

"Motherhood has informed my work more than anything else."

"You can't control the outcome of anything, only how you show up."

"I feel like I don't have that much to say about life."

"Part of acting is self-examination, and you need to go inside yourself."

"I'm interested in playing women of complexity and depth."

"Theater is the most democratic form of art."

"The fact that you're falling doesn't mean you're not the right person."

"I feel like I need to be someone that my children can be proud of."

"There is a mystery about acting that I think is unfathomable."

"I've never really had a strategy about my career."

"Your mouth moves in a way that's singular to you."

"One should treat every role as a living, breathing thing."

"The reason we do what we do is for the moment of transcendence."