“I always, always meant to be on stage. I only ended up even auditioning for television and movies because I was understudying a Turgenev play on Broadway and was so broke that, when I got a mini-series, I had to take it and was so ashamed because I was such a snob.”
Movies
“I try to eat in a way that makes me feel good. If that means a little bite of chocolate I do that, but I try not to use food as a reward for myself.”
FoodAll Quotes by Jennifer Garner
“I remember, my mom didn't have any help, so if she needed to be somewhere after school, we'd just go down to the neighbors' and she'd give us a snack and make sure we did our homework. There weren't any latchkey kids.”
Mom“I'm privileged, because I have a lot of freedom. I want to use it to make as warm and normal a life as I can for our daughters.”
Freedom“My mom grew up in poverty in Oklahoma - like Dust Bowl, nine people in one room kind of place - and the way she got out of poverty was through education. My dad grew up without a dad, with very little and he also made his way out through education.”
Dad“My parents started with very little and were the only ones in their families to graduate from college. As parents, they focused on education, but did not stop at academics - they made sure that we knew music, saw art and theatre and traveled - even though it meant budgeting like crazy.”
Art“I don't have this fantasy about marriage anymore. Everyone says it takes hard work. Well, it kind of does - and I'm much more pragmatic about romance than I used to be.”
Marriage“In my teens, I was never part of the cool crowd.”
Cool“There's an internal battle. I need to work, I need to work, I need to work and I need to be home with my kids and the kids win.”
Home“I wasn't a woman who stayed tiny like I thought I would. I definitely gave myself the freedom to eat what I wanted.”
Freedom“The rule with marriage is the less you talk about it the better, as far as I can tell.”
Marriage“My mom was really vigorous about making sure that we saw things and that we questioned things. Education was so important to both of my parents.”
Education“I am usually part of any disaster at a wedding if I'm a bridesmaid, which I've been lucky enough to be several times.”
Wedding“My mother is a big believer in being responsible for your own happiness. She always talked about finding joy in small moments and insisted that we stop and take in the beauty of an ordinary day. When I stop the car to make my kids really see a sunset, I hear my mother's voice and smile.”
Beauty“I'm still really close with everyone at home and their parents - and their brothers and sisters. I was so, so, so lucky to grow up as part of a community and I don't take that for granted. I try very hard to stay part of it.”
Home“I try to eat in a way that makes me feel good. If that means a little bite of chocolate I do that, but I try not to use food as a reward for myself.”
Food“And now, I still really don't care that much but now I have music playing all the time at home, which is a first for me. Whatever. Everything from Ani DiFranco to Dave Matthews to Jack Johnson and Norah Jones.”
Home“My mom has always said that the one thing she wishes she had done differently is have a job. She felt like the single-mindedness made her a little nuts sometimes, and she could have used an outlet for herself when we were little.”
Mom“Well, you can't be trying to achieve success of any kind in this business without accepting that there's going to be a flip side to it.”
Success“Beauty comes from a life well lived. If you've lived well, your smile lines are in the right places, and your frown lines aren't too bad, what more do you need?”
Beauty“I thought the divorce statistics would never apply to me. I was beyond heartbroken when they did. But I got up and got on with it. I also kept my belief in marriage.”
Marriage