Ryder: "That's an aspect of this business which can be very frustrating and aggravating. Most of what is written about you is wrong and so much of what does get printed is often about personal things that you don't want to have other people read about."

Ryder: "I don't believe I am influencing anybody but myself."

Ryder: "I'm the type who'd rather not work than work on something I'm not into. I've done that a couple of times, and I feel like I can totally see it in my performance."

Ryder: "I've always been super-private and protective of certain experiences and certain friends."

Ryder: "But I've always felt a need to have a life which is completely separate - at least as far as possible - from the kind of illusory lifestyle that comes with being a celebrity."

Ryder: "I'm just coming from a more personal - and, I guess, more nostalgic - point of view."

Ryder: "For a long time, I was almost ashamed of being an actress. I felt like it was a shallow occupation. People would be watching my every move."

Ryder: "You go through spells where you feel that maybe you're too sensitive for this world. I certainly felt that."

Ryder: "I was regarded as the school freak which further reinforced a lot of inhibitions and doubts I had about myself. I was a shy, frightened teenager for a long time."

Ryder: "When I'm acting well, it's the most exhilarating experience. When I'm bad, it's miserable."

Ryder: "It's an indication of how cynical our society has become that any kind of love story with a sad theme is automatically ridiculed as sentimental junk."

Ryder: "I don't have any interest in being a movie star."

Ryder: "I wish I could unknow this, but there is a perception of me that I'm super-sensitive and fragile. And I am super-sensitive, and I don't think that that's a bad thing. To do what I do, I have to remain open."

Ryder: "You can't pay enough money to... cure that feeling of being broken and confused."

Ryder: "I think I'm learning to be bolder in my career choices and be more confident in my personal life. I haven't always felt very secure as an individual, but now I feel I certain confidence and sense of self that gets me through the day a lot better than before."

Ryder: "I'm used to being told what to say, but not what to think... that's usually left up to me."

Ryder: "It's also a question of finding good material and interesting roles. I'm not the only actress out there, and good parts just don't fall into your lap that easily."

Ryder: "My problems seemed so glamorous to other people, and everyone just thought I was so lucky."

Ryder: "Money doesn't matter on a deeply personal level. It doesn't make you feel any happier. But of course I am very aware that I don't have to worry about earning a living or about those very important practical things that most people have to worry about on a very real level."

Ryder: "Googling yourself is maybe one of the worst things you can do. I did it once, and someone had to talk me off a ledge."

Ryder: "What's awful about being famous and being an actress is when people come up to you and touch you. That's scary, and they just seem to think it's okay to do it, like you're public property."

Ryder: "One of my worst fears is being a self-indulgent person."

Ryder: "You have to work to be relevant. If you don't, then people will forget, and the studios won't want you because they won't remember the last thing you did that made money."

Ryder: "I went from weirdo teenager to pixie waif to them not knowing what the hell to do with me."

Ryder: "What you wear - and it always starts with your shoes - determines what kind of character you are. A woman who wears high heels carries herself very different to a girl who wears sneakers or sandals. It really helps determine how you carry yourself."

Ryder: "I've learned that it's okay to be flawed."

Ryder: "When I was young, I was the sweetheart of the press. They loved me but were kind of waiting for me to mess up. I had no skeletons in my closet, no major past to talk about."

Ryder: "I have this sense that I didn't really start growing up until my twenties."

Ryder: "When you finally accept that it's okay not to have answers and it's okay not to be perfect, you realize that feeling confused is a normal part of what it is to be a human being."

Ryder: "It's part of the celebrity process but my life has never been as interesting or as wild as what's been printed about me."