Top 227 Quotes & Sayings by Evangeline Lilly - Page 3

Everyone thinks they can cure stress by adding to their schedule, like going to yoga. Oh, great - one more thing to feel guilty about when you can't do it.

I am an opportunist. When opportunities come, and I see them serving my grander goals in life, I take them.

My partner doesn't read. He's not illiterate - he just chooses not to read - and I love reading. I'm obsessed with reading.

If I went for too long without writing, I would start to feel like something inside me was dying.

It would be amazing to play Sylvia Plath. She was so dark, and what came out of her writing was troubled and fierce. The dimensions, levels, layers and levels would be incredible to take on.

After about five hours of pushing, my midwife and my birthing assistant said, 'You know, we have a few suggestions.' And I was like, 'Really? After five hours of pushing you have a few suggestions? You couldn't have told me five minutes in?'

I don't want to just model. Anyone can do that. I've let myself be in magazines in the past without participating as much as I should have.

I'm not a highly social person. I'm a highly productive person.

It's a surprisingly sacrificial job being an actor.

I'm a bit delusional, but every time I do a job, I think I'm retired.

When I act, I come away drained. When I write, I come away energized.

Saying 'no' is not hard for me; it's scarier for me to say 'yes.' I'm actually more afraid of commitment than of saying 'no.'

I do love 'Star Wars,' although I'm not one of those crazy fans who knows everything about everyone.

There are some 'Star Treks' I love, and there are some I don't love.

I spent a lot of time in the clouds. Becoming a mother has really helped me put my feet on the ground and given me a very powerful sense of self and a powerful sense of priority in life.

Diets are a fool's errand.

I've been astounded to discover how good to their teams and crew that Marvel are. They're so collaborative, so smart with their stories. They have rich, dynamic characters which are so much fun to play.

By rights, I should be an out-of-work actress because I just don't want it as badly as some people want it.

When I was 14 years old, I was crazy about Dr. Seuss. I loved the words he made up, and I just thought, 'Well, if he can make up words, then I can make up words.'

To impress me, a guy has to be completely unaffected by my presence. If he wants to talk to me, talk to me; if he doesn't, don't.

I love my home. It's the only thing I really spend money on. I don't really spend a lot of money on anything else. No fancy cars. No designer clothes.

Even if you're unhappy, just pretend that you're happy. Eventually, your smile will be contagious to yourself. I had to learn that, I used to think, 'I'm being fake,' but you know what? Better to be fake and happy than real and miserable.

The way I've been able to embrace fame is by realizing that celebrity is just a means to send whatever message you want out into the world.

Ironically, when I hit adolescence, I was approached about modeling and acting all the time. And, for five years, I said, "No, I'm not interested. I want a simple life, I don't want to be in the spotlight."

I love the creative end of acting. But I hate fame.

I eventually want to come back to Canada, to disappear, have nobody know me, and just be a writer and do what I want to do.

I'm very proud of being a woman, and as a woman, I don't even like the word feminism because when I hear that word, I associate it with women trying to pretend to be men, and I'm not interested in trying to pretend to be a man. I don't want to embrace manhood, I want to embrace my womanhood.

I think one of the things that is easy to have happened in a superhero story is that the female character, whether she be a heroine or not, can often be the wart on the man.

You can't have a movie with a group of people that are significant players in the story, that push forward the plot, without introducing at least one or two of them.

I just really like ants, and I really like science. I was interested and curious about the quantum world and the physics behind how it all works.

When I pick a role, one of the things that I aspire to is that somebody's parent will come up to me after the film has come out and say, "My daughter idealizes that character. You're her hero." That's what I aim for. We're in the business of making heroes.

People initially think I'm a snob because I'm intensely private.

There is a little bit of evil in all of us, and it's very easy to draw that out.

I'm surrounded by people who care about me and love me. I have a great job. I have wonderful roommates who take care of me. I have a family who adores me.

I wasn't actually going to see the original film [Lord of the Ring], because I didn't think it was possible that a film could represent the books appropriately. So I was protesting, and I wasn't going to see them. And then my family all took a jaunt together, the entire family, to see the movies, and were like, "What, you're just going to stay home?" So I saw the movies and was thoroughly impressed that Peter Jackson managed to make my vision of the book come to life, as well as my sister's and my father's, and my aunt's and my uncle's, everyone's.

I have these huge, pointed ears. They're like three times the size of Orlando Bloom's ears. And I think he has ear envy, I love my ears.

I think I'm not always what I seem.

Outside of acting, the person that I admire the most is my mother.

Even though I'm resting I'm accomplishing something by sewing that shirt that I've been meaning to sew for weeks. And it's relaxing. It's so very meditative and quiet and enjoyable. But at least I'm producing something. I'm being productive in some way. I have a very hard time being completely idle.

I started to do everything I could to succeed, but found that the more successful I became, the less people liked me.

I think doing a female Elf in the Woodland realm was a bit safer, because we haven't met one of those yet.

I don't know why, but the warmth and the comfort of flickering light help. And a fire, in the fireplace or on the beach, is very comforting. I think when you make something consistent and familiar, it helps. I light candles every single night in my home.

I cried myself to sleep wishing I was ugly because men leered and disrespected me.

My bedroom is my sanctuary. It's the only place in the house that has a beautiful lush shag rug, which is my favorite.

I am so glad that I get to maintain a relatively down-to-earth lifestyle.

I like fantasy. I like worlds where sometimes you need the special effects to make it come alive, but it's not so fun acting it.

I know I can never work in a comedy because I can't keep a goddamn straight face.

I like ambiguity. I think it's so much more interesting to play than an overtly good or an overtly evil person.

Originally, I wanted to do humanitarian work. I actually feel that getting into acting, which fate has led me to, is my window and path into humanitarian work. I always said I want to do something important. And I feel this work is what's helping me get there.

I try my very hardest to remember that I don't have to be anything but Evangeline. That's all that's expected of me. And if I try to be more or less, I will fall flat on my face. So if I just continue to hold my head high and keep myself in check, I'm being who I was born to be.

I enjoy the idea that even though I'm resting, I'm accomplishing something by reading a book.

My valentine is always my dad.

I actually write as a passion, as something I actually am more passionate about than acting.

If your home is peaceful, then you're going to go out in your day peacefully.

I changed jobs like I changed shirts. It was something I just like to do - I like trying my hand at everything.

There's a massive part of me that can be bold and courageous...very strong and very assertive and independent, almost to a fault sometimes.

Diets are a fool’s errand. I eat something sweet every day, whether it’s chocolate or a cookie. If I don’t, I guarantee you that there’s going to be a day every week when I’m going to stuff myself, especially if it’s PMS time.

It's not your circumstances that make or break your day. It's your attitude!

My home is my castle, and I spend a lot of time nurturing it, redecorating - moving this and adjusting that, adding flowers and candles.

I've had boyfriends complain, "Wait, you don't want to see me?" No, I don't. I just want to hang out by myself. So screw off.