Parents are supposed to give the child back to herself with love. If they've got duct tape over their eyes because of narcissism, it doesn't happen.
— Jane Fonda
In my marriages, I'd lost parts of who I was because I was trying to mold myself into what I thought a man wanted me to be.
I have a confidence about my life that comes from standing tall on my own two feet.
I've been accused of being too flexible, too willing to mold myself to men, and that's something I'm constantly working on.
We're not meant to be perfect. It took me a long time to learn that.
A mother who is obsessing about being thin and dieting and exercising is not going to be a very good mother.
I was raised in the '50s. I was taught by my father that how I looked was all that mattered, frankly.
I'm a very brave person. I can go to North Vietnam, I can challenge my government, but I can't challenge the man I'm with if means I'm going to end up alone.
My mother killed herself when I was 12. I won't complete that relationship. But I can try to understand her.
I don't want my wrinkles taken away - I don't want to look like everyone else.
If the career you have chosen has some unexpected inconvenience, console yourself by reflecting that no career is without them.
Ted needs someone to be there 100% of the time. He thinks that's love. It's not love - it's babysitting.
I'm an assistant storyteller. It's like being a waiter or a gas-station attendant, but I'm waiting on six million people a week, if I'm lucky.
I knew that I had to write my memoirs.
I always had a penchant for falling in love. Every time I found myself without a mate, I fell into a state of low-sizzling panic.
It's hard for women at my age in Hollywood, but I'm not discouraged.
I feel like my honesty gives people the freedom to talk about things they wouldn't otherwise.
I was in my mid-40s. I was a bulimic, and I realized if I continue with this addiction of mine, I will not be able to continue doing my life. The older you get the more damage it does; it takes longer to recover from a binge. And it was very hard.
I have people in my life who will say, 'Honey, you're trying too hard.' I like being saucy, but I'm 73 and a half. I'm still trying to find my way between matronly and coltishness.
Emotionality is really easy for me. My father always said that Fondas can cry at a good steak.
I would have given up acting in a minute. I didn't like how it set me apart from other people.
If you're ever in a situation where you're not getting served or you can't get what you need, just cry.
But the whole point of liberation is that you get out. Restructure your life. Act by yourself.
A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming.
When you can't remember why you're hurt, that's when you're healed.
A man has every season while a woman only has the right to spring.
One part of wisdom is knowing what you don't need anymore and letting it go.
I was so devastated by my second divorce that I had a nervous breakdown.
I find that arduous physical labor can jump-start my thought process.
I spent a good deal of time going back over my childhood, my midlife, to try to understand who I was. We're supposed to be complete and whole, and you can't be whole if you're trying to be perfect. Doing a life review helped me get over the disease to please.
All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.
I'm vain. My arms are thin, but I'm vain about loose flesh. And so I'm careful that what I wear will show off my best parts, which are my waist and my butt.
People think actresses find public speaking easy, and it's not easy at all; we're used to hiding behind masks.
I don't think there's anything more important than making peace before it's too late. And it almost always falls to the child to try to move toward the parent.
It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.
Telling lies and showing off to get attention are mistakes I made that I don't want my kids to make.
To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power.
We cannot always control our thoughts, but we can control our words, and repetition impresses the subconscious, and we are then master of the situation.
