Quotes By Jessica Lange

I never think of the future. I never imagine what comes next.

TV is sort of the only way to go for an actress my age to make a decent salary; with independent films, you just can't.

It was easier to do Shakespeare than a lot of modern movie scripts that are so poorly written.

I never felt like I belonged in Minnesota when I was growing up there. That's why I was out the door as soon as I turned 18.

I have made decisions based from purely an actor's point of view.

To my mind the election was stolen by George Bush and we have been suffering ever since under this man's leadership.

I worked on my voice for Sweet Dreams, but only to match my speaking voice to Patsy's actual singing voice. That was my way into that character.

Sometimes parts just come along when it's the perfect time for you to do them.

To work on the actual location I think is great. This thing of going to Canada and pretending you're in New York, it's terrible.

I could be making a lot more money now if I had chosen a different kind of movie, but none of that matters to me... I've done the parts I wanted to do.

Your children are grown and your career has slowed down - all the stuff that took up so much attention is gone, and you're left with expansive time and space. You have to reimagine who you are and what life is about.

The only place I've felt was really my home is my cabin up north. There's something in the water there that connects me to that place. There's also this sense of isolation and loneliness about it that I've never been able to shake.

Photography was a blessing because it filled my time.

All through life I've harbored anger rather than expressed it at the moment.

Because Shakespeare's language is so expansive, we're under this misconception that it's difficult. But I discovered that it's easy because it's so brilliantly written. The words are perfect, and the language is intelligent and very emotional.

I love being a mother. I loved being a daughter, a sister, a wife. I love being a woman with men. I love having given birth.

This idea of selfishness as a virtue, as opposed to generosity: That, to me, is unnatural.

The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children.

I am tortured when I am away from my family, from my children. I am horribly guilt-ridden.

If I had to start over, I'd pursue photography - probably to the exclusion of acting.

In families there is always the mythology. My father died when my kids were quite young still, and yet they still tell his stories. That is how a person lives on.

I regret those times when I've chosen the dark side. I've wasted enough time not being happy.

To work with a director that has emotional commitment and passion toward the characters, and the piece, and the experiences, it only enriches your work.

I've been thinking a lot about next year, which will be the first time in 25 years that I don't have a child at home.

I've got nothing left to lose at this point. The work I've done is out there.

Families survive, one way or another. You have a tie, a connection that exists long after death, through many lifetimes.

Allow the diversity to exist. There is nothing wrong with it. Hell, we put up with the religious right-we can put up with transgendered human beings.

There are no explanations, there are no answers.

Sometimes the odds are against you-the director doesn't know what the hell he's doing, or something falls apart in the production, or you're working with an actor who's just unbearable.

It comes down to something really simple: Can I visualize myself playing those scenes? If that happens, then I know that I will probably end up doing it.