"I know I’m also the girl who’s Chinese family doesn’t speak Chinese, and I’ve grown up watching Western philosophy movies teaching me that I should follow my heart and that I can do and be anything I desire. It almost feels like sometimes I’m too Asian, and then other times I’m not Asian enough. I don’t know... I’m not typical. I don’t fit the box. I’m just ME… Moments like these push me to grow and become better and all I can do is be the best me I can be and trust that what’s right for me will come along."

"I live in a world of actors where everyone is a little crazy to begin with, but it was interesting that he said all these elements to this disorder. I was like, “Oh my gosh!” I feel like this will be a great challenge to play the role, but I can tap into that because I feel like I know someone with that disorder."

"I worked so hard to be so versatile in so many different things. There’s just not a lot of girls who can do ballet and flips and break dance and crazy hip-hop moves. So I would really encourage young dancers and actors to work to be as versatile as possible."

"Worst part is the post project low that seems to happen after being on a project that you love. I don’t hate things, but I really really passionately dislike going from being around a “film family” every day and loving every minute of it, then after the film is over you rarely see each other again and if you do its very few and far in between."

"It’s an honor to represent military families on the show. These families sacrifice so much and are so committed and graceful with how they handle situations. To send your loved one away, not knowing if they’re going to come back or not. To still hold your pride and still keep it together, these women and these families are just very brave. I’m very fortunate and very excited to be a part of something that speaks to many of our citizens."

"Find something you’re passionate about and you know, do something."

"Nobody should be entirely defined by one thing"

"Uniqueness is what makes you the most beautiful."

"It's so important, so comforting, to have lampposts in this world who can light the way."

"I go back and forth between [being a vegan and not being a vegan]. I try lots of different things. I really feel that you need to kind of listen to your body and what your body is telling you to eat. So I was a vegan for about two years. … Well, everything with being vegan and vegetarian is a really big commitment. You have to do what you feel is best and what you believe in and what your body is telling you that it needs. I really think everyone should do what’s best for them, and what’s best for me may not be best for someone else. But like I said, you just have to do what makes you feel good."

"You go through different arcs in your career. I think when I was younger, I was very into the performing side of the industry. I came to acting through that way, and then having gone to university and studied cinema studies and watching tons of films and understanding film theory and making a conscious choice of working with auteur director marks a new chapter in my development as an artist."

"I think when you work with really wonderful directors who have a really strong vision, it lets you as an artist set the tone for your own career. So for me, it's not necessarily having that kind of notoriety. I'm interested in great work and working with people that have a singular vision, and I think the work dictates that."

"People say to me all the time, "You have no fear." I tell them, "No, that's not true. I'm scared all the time. You have to have fear in order to have courage. I'm a courageous person because I'm a scared person.""

"The way I was raised was that you can pick whatever you want to do in life, just try to be the best in the world at it. I'm a very proud person and if I'm putting my pride on the line every time I fight, there's no way in hell I'm going to allow anyone else to work harder than me. Plus, I love to train now. When I have to take a break I'm bored out of my mind. I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not fighting. It's my niche - it's just what I'm meant to do."

"When I was in school, martial arts made you a dork, and I became self-conscious that I was too masculine. I was a 16-year-old girl with ringworm and cauliflower ears. People made fun of my arms and called me "Miss Man." It wasn't until I got older that I realized: These people are idiots. I'm fabulous."

"As of right now I am a vegan. I put that off until after I was done with this tournament. And then I'm gonna go home and I'm probably gonna take over the loan on my stepdad's Prius and I'm gonna drive a clean car. And I'm gonna get a surfboard and learn how to surf, teach myself. I made up this long list of stuff that I couldn't do while I was training that normal people do. It's kind of too late to go to prom, but you know, I'll find something to make up for it."

"When I left judo and went into MMA, everyone was saying, "How's she gonna react to getting punched in the face?" And I was thinking, You don't understand. In judo, those girls would punch you straight in the face all the time. They'd pretend to go for a grip and just punch you. Grab you by the collar and hit you over and over again. If you watch the fight I lost at the Olympics, you'll see that girl punched me in the face twenty times."

"People always assume if you're vegetarian you can just live on cheese and meanwhile cheese is awful for your body even if tastes so good. I'm a massive animal lover too. Being vegan has been so good for me. I've never felt better."

"I feel like you kind of have to live life to its fullest in order to be a good actor. Draw on experiences. The more experiences the better, and I really have had a lot of experiences in life, even at my young age."

"I think it’s a good reality check to grow up in New York, because every day you’re exposed to people from all parts of the world, people that don’t have any money, people who live on the street, rich people — especially if you’re not sheltered."

"I feel the popular music of a certain time really tells you a lot about what life was like in that period."

"I disgust wearing clothing. I don't have any qualms about being naked on screen. I know it's being shot by a wonderful cinematographer, so why would I fret? If it was for Playboy, I'd be worried."

"Paz de la Huerta has not risen to the status of It girl by chance. She has perfected the art of revealing her assets in a cheeky way at the opportune moment."

"Paz is Genghis Khan meets Marie Antoinette"

"I'm just one of the few American actresses that are willing to be nude. And I feel in order to be a great actress you need to be naked in all ways. Emotionally and … whatever."

"I'm not a model. Whenever I do a photo shoot I like to create a story."

"I want to make it clear to England, I am not a party girl."

"I love the fact that the present is the only real reality we have."

"For me there’s no good or bad, as long as I’m feeling everything to the greatest degree, whether it’s sadness or happiness."

"As soon as you tell me to do one thing, I do the opposite. As soon as someone tells me not to get any more tattoos, I have this intense fire burning inside me to cover myself with them. I don't care if it's self-destructive. I just have that need to rebel."

"I'm not afraid to be sexy. A woman who is intelligent and also knows how to weaponize her beauty… there's nothing more dangerous than that. There's nothing more powerful than that."

"In the past I’ve been reluctant to share any bits of truth about myself or to really let people in on my reality, so I have said some things to throw people off the scent of what’s really going on in my life. So I have sort of aided the media in printing these misconceptions, which I regret. I’ve just come to the realization at this point that if I don’t feel like sharing, then I’m just not going to share."

"I don't understand why people don't have a f***ing sense of humor. Always assume that I'm being sarcastic."

"Wonder Woman is a lame superhero. She flies around in her invisible jet and her weaponry is a lasso that makes you tell the truth. I just don't get it."

"I'm not going to win an Oscar anytime soon. I'm not Meryl Streep."

"I'm the biggest nerd - I love comic books and stuff like that!"

"I want to be the poster girl for engineers and computer nerds."

"If I spent too much time here in Los Angeles, I could probably get a little messed up. It's not real here, being on a set with only actors. I've worked with people who were totally cool, then once they got all the publicity and attention, it just went to their heads. If I did anything like that my friends would say, 'What's up with you? That really doesn't fly here.' I'm lucky I have a really strong network of people I'm close to, so I try to keep as grounded as possible by going home every weekend, where I'm just normal."

"Alex is cool because a lot of people can relate to her. She's not the most popular girl in school, but she's also not a geek. I know what it's like to think you don't always fit in, and I think kids can relate to Alex's feelings about being average."

"She's not your typical cheesecake pinup girl. She's beautiful and talented and has the mouth of a truck driver when necessary."

"Being an actor is looked at like a prolonged game of dress-up. America puts movie stars on pedestals. In college, it's the flip side. I sometimes have to justify my job to my professors because they're focused on intellect and ideas."

"The way Miramax handled it was B.S. There were a lot of crossing political agendas going on, and the reasons in the press weren't entirely true. It was like 'Are we seeing the same movie here?' I've always thought it's better to get people talking about the issue of school violence as opposed to trying to pretend it didn't happen."

"I definitely worry about that. I think about it all the time because that's the way Hollywood thinks. It's all about momentum and keeping your name out there, and college certainly takes you away from that. But, if I look at it in the longer term, it's so worthwhile."

"Playing Paula in The Business of Strangers was extremely cathartic and wonderful for me because Patrick Stettner (the director) constantly encouraged me to be un-self aware. The character is very elusive and bold, but my experience of having people confuse bluntness with bitchiness has made me shy away from it, or it has made me too aware of the reactions I get from people. So Patrick undid all that by telling me to ignore what the response might be to Paula. It was almost like being a kid again, and it was a very empowering feeling."

"I really like Shakespeare a lot. The characters that he writes for females, I think, are really great and a lot more compelling than what modern writers write, which is weird because they didn't have actresses then."

"I always loved how people like Jon Voight and Laurence Olivier shocked you every time they came on-screen. They were so different each time. That's what I hope to do with acting — be the chameleon and not get stuck in a type."

"I tend to gravitate toward the more powerful roles. As opposed to the doe-eyed girl who bats her eyelashes and runs around in towels, you now what I mean? Because that kind of makes me want to vomit.""

"I’m a vegan. But, no one believes it because when you’re out in the field, most of your meal options involve meat with a side of something fried. I’ve learned how to be creative and improvise and can eat anywhere — even a steak house or a gas station."

"It’s not about hair, it’s about being you--whether that’s something the industry has seen before and accepts or not."

"My generation isn’t tolerant of what they see as fake or staged. They’re looking for authenticity and honesty. Journalists who want to reach them need to be able to say, ‘I don’t personally have all the answers, but I do have a good idea about where we’ll find them.'"