Happy he who learns to bear what he cannot change.

It's the most unhappy people who most fear change.

On one level nothing's really changed in my life. I still drive my daughter in the car pool on Monday. But it's impossible not to be aware of this rush of attention it's impossible not to be seduced by it once you've entered into it seduced by being unhappy when the attention wanes.

I wasn't going to get such a nice car - I was going to get a cute little hybrid or something keep the trees happy - but then my grandfather died and it was all: retail therapy!

Have you ever noticed how nice people are at the car wash?! Maybe it's just me but it makes me happy. Weird I know!

Here's the thing that I think about life - if you manage to get into a space where you don't need that much where the overhead of your life is not that great and you're pretty happy and relaxed without that much stuff you are really liberated because you never have to say yes to something because you want another refrigerator or car!

It's a tricky place especially the last sector. I wasn't happy in practice. I wasn't happy with the car and I wasn't happy with myself. But I always thought there was more in the car.

If your goal is to be the biggest movie star in the world a 10-movie contract is gold. It was never my goal. Up until now I made movies - and I have a nice house a nice car. I'm fortunate happy and grateful. Life is good.

I'm happy to report that 'The New Press' is still in business to this day. But not thanks to me. I was a really bad publishing intern.

Kids are brought into show business because they are cute and see truth and they're very bright. But there's a sense of doing it because you want the adults to be approving of you. You want to make them happy.

People who have tried it tell me that a clear conscience makes you very happy and contented but a full stomach does the business quite as well and is cheaper and more easily obtained.

It's like you always have to put on a happy face be the phony baloney and I'm so not that. I never was that I'll never be that. That is part of the business that I don't like. Maybe that will always keep me an outsider I don't know. But that's fine.

And I was very shy as a kid if you sang me 'Happy Birthday ' I would cry. Quite shy. So the idea of being an actor much less a model was just out of this world.

When I was in elementary school I used to write letters to myself. I'd write letters and go 'Dear Kristen-at-16-years-old happy birthday. I hope you're doing something.'

At her birthday my seven-year-old daughter will say that she wants these big cakes and certain expensive toys as presents and I can't say no to her. It would just break my heart. But when I was little for birthdays we just played outside and we were happy if we got any cake.

I can put my legs behind my head and sing 'Happy Birthday.' Because that's something that me and my friends used to do when we were in gymnastics class as kids and I can still do it. I was doing it since I was 8 and 9. They used to call me Gumby. Very bendy.

I worked at an ice cream parlor called Chadwicks. We wore old-timey outfits and had to bang a drum play a kazoo and sing 'Happy Birthday' to people while giving them free birthday sundaes. Lots of ice cream scooping and $1 tips.