"My feelings for Ellen overrode all of my fear about being out as a lesbian. I had to be with her, and I just figured I'd deal with the other stuff later."

"The most important thing for me was to never, ever, ever deny it. But I didn't really have the courage to talk about it. I was thinking, The people who need to know I'm gay know."

"You live with the fear people might find out. Then you actually have the courage to tell people and they go, I don't think you are gay. It's enough to drive you crazy."

"When you have the paparazzi hiding in the bushes outside your home, the only thing you can control is how you respond publicly."

"If you can't be in awe of Mother Nature, there's something wrong with you."

"Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door."

"Unlike a lot of people, I don't feel powerless. I know I can do something. But anyone can do something, it's not about being special. It's about deciding to do it - to dive into work for peace and justice and care for everybody on the planet."

"To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker."