Jessica Alba quotes:

I wish there were two of me and 48-hour days so I could get everything done. But for me, I have to not try and think that everything has to be 100% perfect all the time and leave room for error. As long as my kids feel loved and a priority, everything really is secondary.

Makeup can be pure fantasy--it can transform you into any kind of magical creature, whether that's a superhero or a retro Hollywood icon or just a more fun, fresher version of yourself. Looking like a stress-free, well-rested working mom? That's some kind of magic to me.

When I do comedy, I lose all inhibition and introspection. I no longer care.

My approach to acting now is so different -- I'm fearless because I have nothing to lose. Before [children] my identity was wrapped up in every decision -- now, I don't care.

I did research when I was pregnant with my first daughter and was horrified by the chemicals in products, even those meant for babies. I would have to go to 50 different places just to get my house and my kid clean.

I thought it was my job to give all the boys their first kiss.

My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything - even if you have no clue what you're doing.

If I didn't get a job, between 16 and 18, that wasn't significant, I was just going to go to college. I didn't want to be a struggling actor at 36 with five kids, doing something I hated. You see the story so much. It's such a vicious business to be in when you're not meant to be in it.

I don't like being the center of attention.

You have to be the best of whatever you are, but successful, cool actresses come in all shapes and sizes.

As a kid, I was always sick. I had pneumonia, I had really severe allergies. And it wasn't until I got older, that I realized some of that was caused by toxins in things like detergent. That made me crazy, because it's supposed to help get things clean!

Especially in entertainment geared toward young people, the women are much stronger than they used to be. There's not really the damsel in distress anymore. I think the stereotype still possibly lives in different genre pictures but, in entertainment for the younger generation, they're used to women being equal and being strong. I think if you don't portray that, it would be kind of weird.

All moms need confidants who are in their shoes and can relate to what they're going through. You need a night out together to be who you are, and not feel like you have to be the career woman, wife and mommy--all at once. After all, we're not superwomen.

Most nights I end up wearing a wife beater T-shirt and boxers.

I don't hang out with the Hollywood cool people. I'm not out trying to make friends with people because they're famous.

I've got cousins galore, Mexicans just spread all their seeds and the women just pop them out

I think the world is ready for people of color to take on more heroic and leading roles, and not always be the sidekick, the nemesis or any sort of stereotype of what a person of color can play typically in a Hollywood picture.

My whole life, when I was growing up, not one race has ever accepted me, ... So I never felt connected or attached to any race specifically. I had a very American upbringing, I feel American, and I don't speak Spanish. So, to say that I'm a Latin actress, OK, but it's not fitting; it would be insincere.

The time I'm not spending with my kid has to be worth it, so when I sat down with my agents after I was ready to go back to work, I told them: It's all about the directors.

I get all these screenplays that start 'Tawnya is in the shower. The water streams down her naked, perky breasts'. I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman.

But I don't feel the need to be famous.

Just being a mother is making me a big, weepy mess.

Living in L.A., everyone likes to mold you and change you. I don't care about fame, I don't care about being a celebrity. I know that's part of the job, but I don't feed into anyone's idea of who I should be.

I bizarrely think that this [Sin City] is the perfect date movie. If a guy took me on a date to see this movie, I would marry him, for sure. It's bad-ass chicks and rad dudes, who are sexy, all over the place, and there's so much cool action.

Nanotechnology is really interesting to me. Stuff to sort of make our world a better place, and a cleaner place, through science. And it also explains things that are happening. I've always been into it.

I'm really good at being sarcastic with guys. That's the best way to hang out with them, because that's what guys . They don't want the quiet, prissy little things.

Free driving is like an extreme sports version of snorkeling, ... That's about 50 feet deep. And basically what you do is you hold your breath and you wear a weight belt and go down as fast as possible and hold your breath for minutes at a time.

Movies are the shadiest business in the world.

Way too high maintenance to be in a relationship with an actor. I don't need a man who spends as much time in front of the mirror as me.

I don't need to be famous. I'm not that ambitious. At this point, if I'm not sucked in, I'm never going to get sucked in. Being the so-called hot girl, I disconnect from that. It's not that deep.

Honor has to say "please" and "thank you." Manners are really important.

Everyone in my family is an artist in some capacity whether they're musicians, painters, or sculptors, so it's in their blood.

For me, makeup is about being your best self. If I wake up in a foul mood and have to deal with temper tantrums and an exploding diaper--I know taking 10 minutes to get my game face on will reset my stress levels. It's a chance to check in and remind myself--you got this.

I could have sexual chemistry with vinegar.

There's no such thing as a perfect guy. I think it would be strange if somebody was absolutely everything you always wanted, because then there'd be no challenge. Also, you'd feel inferior.

It feels like I'm starting to come into my own in terms of where I want to go artistically, toward more complicated, interesting characters.

Every time I'd get a critique or some redirection, I'd always just take it very personally. Now I have no problem with it.

In Eastern culture, people see ghosts, people talk about ghosts... it's just accepted. And in Western culture it's just not.

Success takes communication, collaboration and, sometimes, failure.

Find your passion and do it totally. The more life experience you get, the better you'll be at whatever you want to do.

You have to be tenacious, you have to be focused, you have to have a real vision, and be extremely passionate about it.

I can seriously spend five hours making one dinner.

I'm much more of a risk taker. I'm more fearless now than when I was 18. I was much more self-aware and I cared too much about what people thought of me and now I really don't. I probably should.

The secret to using power is not to use it. Just having it is enough.

I like to organize. I have an opinion. I like to get stuff done.

I share the same advice that my mom gave me - stay hydrated and sleep well. And that being a beautiful person on the inside is what really matters.

Love is ever evolving and it takes compromise, work and patience.

Sometimes I don't like my thighs or stomach, but whenever I get caught up in that, I always focus on the fact that I'm healthy now.

I guess for me, balance isn't about treating your time like a pie chart and dividing it into equally sized slices for you, the kids, work, and so on. It's about the quality of how you spend your time, not the quantity--are you being present and focused on whatever you're doing while you're doing it? I truly believe that's how you can be the best version of yourself, whether you're in work mode, mom mode, or wife mode. When I know I'm giving my undivided attention in each of these areas, I don't feel so guilty about the time spent away from them.

Actors are pulled in so many different directions that unless you both are absolutely into it through thick and thin and completely sure about each other, it's just hard. I've decided I'll never date an actor again.

I get self-conscious, but you have to just embrace it and go with it.

I could have a one-night stand, and I'm the kind of girl who looks over in the morning and is like, Do you really have to be here? I don't need to cuddle and do all that stuff because I know what it is and I don't try to make it more. I feel like a lot of women try to make it into more, so they don't feel so bad about just wanting to have sex.

I can't tell you how great it is to get away with a girlfriend for four days shopping in Paris. Now that's what I call a vacation.

I am the good girl and I always play the good girl. It's nice to do that.

I don't really have a problem with just wanting sex. Never have. Even when I was a virgin and wanted to marry the first guy who I slept with, I never passed any judgments about that. But now I'm done [with dating around].

Being perfect is being flawed, accepting it, and never letting it make you feel less than your best.

Your husband or your wife is the only person you can really choose to be your family and to have unconditional love with them.

The films I do always have a happy ending. I hope it reflects back to real life.

It's really, really, really difficult to have the same occupation as the person you're with - especially when you're both actors.

When I used to do the action scenes, I would have to play it rough. If you hit an actress accidentally, she would usually take it on the chin and say, `Don't do that again.' But with the guys, they would put ice on it, take a 20-minute break and ask for x-rays. It was unbelievable.

I didn't really [seriously] go out with any guys until I was 18 and met my ex-fiancé, Michael Weatherly.

I think that people who don't like animals tend to be selfish, but I'm biased.

I love acting because it's this space where dreams can be realized, fantasy comes to life, and there are no limitations on what's possible.

I was a lot more critical of my body when it was probably pretty awesome. Why did I not ever wear jean shorts? That's so crazy. I was so skinny. I didn't have any cellulite what was I thinking? I was more willing to wear short skirts after I had my kids. I never wore them before. Ever. I was so self-conscious. Now I'm a lot more confident in my skin - because who cares? At the end of the day, it's so much time spent on something that really doesn't matter that much.

I basically went out with any guy who asked me because hardly anyone ever asked me out.

When I work out, I have energy and feel good about myself.

Like many other moms out there, I try to buy safe products for my family, but that can't be the only solution. You can't hire a team of scientists to do your shopping for you. At some point the government has to step in and ensure that chemicals are safe before our children are exposed to them.

I never fit in with my peer group. I never hung out with kids my age - I always wanted to hang out with my mom and her girlfriends.

Parents try the best they can. They want the best for you. But a lot of their stuff is just their own. If you can pull yourself away from it and not always feel like they're attacking you, then it's easier to deal with.

I had severe asthma and kidney problems and would get 105-degree fevers. I actually almost had to go on dialysis for my kidneys. I was also in the hospital for pneumonia.

There's a lot of pressure on women to fulfill certain fantasies. They expect you to be a little bit of a tart, to flirt with all the men. A lot of women do it. But I'm not doing that. I talk with these guys about their wives and kids right away. When they say inappropriate things, I let them, because boys will be boys, but I'm not looking to participate in their conversations.

It's not always so great to be objectified, but I don't feel I have much of a choice right now. I'm young in my career. I know I have to strike when the iron is hot.

As a girl, I was always told I was nasty or dirty if I was sexual in any way. Americans are such prudes.

I'm comfortable looking sexy. I don't push it with poses, although I like the ironic part of it. That's what makes it fun.

I went through puberty really early, when I was 11. It makes you feel weird - you know, like your uncle is now hugging you a little bit longer than he used to. I think we all go through wanting to go back - you're not sure you're ready for that body.

When I went from girl body to woman body and all of a sudden I had tits and hips and a little tummy and natural fat in places, I freaked out.

My parents were young and liberal and knew I was going to drink anyway, so they let me do it at home.

I'm all about supporting anyone whose art is also the way they make their living.

My mind is constantly in five different places, but golf is great because it forces you to focus completely and purely on what you're doing.

I don't put weight on fame, and having people around me just because I am famous makes me feel really bad about myself.

I like to cook. I would probably go to culinary school in France if I had time.

I actually wanted to be a producer because I like to run things.

Everyone has an opinion of who you are and what your relationship is about, things that you've done or didn't do in your relationship - and it's just all crap, really. Things that are written about it are all crap.

Mike Adams, you are simply the sexiest man alive. You have my vote in .

The time I'm not spending with my kid has to be worth it.

After a bath, I like to use Jo Wood Organics Usiku Body Oil. It mositurises my skin without leaving it greasy.

Some [actors] are really a pain in the ass today. I held out on getting an assistant forever because I didn't want to seem demanding... or like a pain in the ass. I didn't want someone working for me to hate me.

I wish I could speak Spanish, because it would be a lot easier to play more interesting roles.

Guys are stimulated easily. They are easy to manipulate. All you have to do is wear a sexy outfit.

I think people couldn't really put me in [one race]. I wasn't Mexican, I wasn't white, I wasn't black, I wasn't Asian... I wasn't anything, and I didn't really fit into anybody's group. My dad is Mexican, and my mom is French and Danish.

No one gives Cameron Diaz a hard time for not speaking Spanish.

A parent knows better than any book or "expert" what their kid really needs.

When I was young, I loved black men.

Good actors never use the script unless it's amazing writing. All the good actors I've worked with, they all say whatever they want to say.

[On accepting travel suggestions from her two daughters, 6 and 3:] When they pay for the vacation, they get to dictate where we go.

I've always been attracted to guys with big brains.

I'm not incredibly self-conscious. I don't really feel like I walk around making fashion or my appearance the most important thing in the world. It's certainly not the way that I live my life. I'm not really sure how the magazines perceive me because I don't read them.

As far as being married and what it means to me... it's nice knowing that I have a partner in life and that someone's got my back.

I really like older British guys - I don't think any of them would ever have a problem with crying in front of a woman or saying "I love you" or "You hurt me" or emotional stuff like that.

I'm not trying to do stuff for my kids necessarily all the time, but when you get the odd opportunity to do something for them that they could enjoy its cool.

I always try to do something for my husband that's completely selfless, and something that I hope will rock his world in some form or fashion.

I've been getting my makeup done professionally since I was 12, I've never found a brand that could create that glowing look and flawless finish we all want from beauty products with ingredients that were effective and safe. So I had to create it.

I loved my baby dolls when I was a kid. I used to pray with them and say good night to each and every one of them because I didn't want their feelings to get hurt. I remember having that connection with my baby dolls.

People are unbelievably giving and caring and understanding of me because of what I do for a living and because actors tend to get their asses kissed everywhere they go, so I can be extra-understanding in a relationship.

I was on a TV show when I was 13, and I had a tutor for high school. Everyone was like "Oh, you're missing out on the high school experience," so I'd go with my cousins to parties where there would be a keg and people doing body shots and playing quarters. I was like, What a waste of time. I didn't want to be doing E [ecstasy] and making out with a guy three years older than me who's a loser.

I'm not one of those women with a really thin body. I have body fat.