Writing is incidental to my primary objective, which is spinning a good yarn. I view myself as a storyteller more than a writer. The story - and hence the extensive research that goes into each one of my books - is much more important than the words that I use to narrate it.
Were I to put myself on... one of those online dating things, I would not include in my profile that I'm regularly hospitalized for psychosis. But I do know that when I get really bad, there is a place for me to go where I will feel better.
I couldn't imagine a more incompetent politician than myself.
I had to overcome barriers of fear, inconsistency, believing in myself as an individual, and believing in the gift and believing that this could actually happen, and this is actually what I'm supposed to do.
I'm inconsistent, even to myself.
I'm doomed to act like myself, even when it's inconvenient!
The concept of getting out of my routine, mixing it up, and pushing myself to live the grittiest life is something I try to incorporate every day.
Every single aspect of myself, let me put it this way, it's all about trying to incorporate. It's about trying to weave the web and keep everyone happy. And of course, it's about giving value to those people so they continue to sponsor me.
If I played something incorrectly, I whipped myself mercilessly. Whenever I made a mistake, I made sure that I would never allow myself to repeat it. Every guitarist wants to play well. But in reality, if good intentions were all it took, then everyone would be great.
In the midst of applying for American citizenship, of finally attempting to get my presidents in a row, I felt it incumbent upon myself to explore the national psyche in every way.
I think possibly what people working for one hate the most is indecision. Even if I'm completely unsure, I'll pretend I know exactly what I'm talking about and make a decision. The most important thing I can do is try and make myself very clearly understood.
I'm finding myself really angry over spending and the deficit. I'm finding myself really angry over what's happening in the Middle East, the decision to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely. I'm angry about cap and trade. And I've been on record for a long time on the failed war on drugs.
It's funny: When I first heard they were thinking of me for the president in 'Independence Day,' I just assumed it was a comedy - I didn't exactly think of myself as leader-of-the-free-world material.
I didn't have a lot of independent film connections. It really took until the digital film revolution came along that I realized that I could do it myself.
Now that I've established myself in a drama, I'm plugging away, trying to get the attention of people who do the independent movies and the features.
I feel so blessed that I grew up in the age of the independent woman, the survivor. I had Destiny's Child telling me I didn't need a man to feel good about myself, and I want to carry on that message.
I've never considered myself a feminist, but I'm happy that I've been raised as a strong, independent woman.
I consider myself to be a very strong, independent woman.
When I first came to Harvard, I thought to myself, 'What kind of an Indian am I?' because I did not grow up on a reservation. But being an Indian is a combination of things. It's your blood. It's your spirituality. And it's fighting for the Indian people.
I've learned that for Indian people, the opportunity for us to succeed is very slim. So acting was a great tool for that. And in the process of learning about my culture, I've learned how to connect myself again to my ancestors.
