Meryl Streep

You can't suppress the things that make us human. It's pointless to try.

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.

I am a humanist. I am for nice, easy balance.

I think your self emerges more clearly over time.

Having been let out of the barn once, I know I wouldn't be happy if I were home all the time.

I know movies are a function of our dream world. And when you project yourself on screen, it's easier to project yourself into what you were, not what you are.

If I am not confident that I can portray the character perfectly on screen, I won't even try.

I believe in imagination. I did Kramer vs. Kramer before I had children. But the mother I would be was already inside me.

The progression of roles you take strings together a portrait of an actor, but it's a completely random process.

The work will stand, no matter what.

I think the most liberating thing I did early on was to free myself from any concern with my looks as they pertained to my work.

I have four to five months, tops, per year to give to my acting work.