Kristin Bauer van Straten Quotations

One lesson I got from Gandhi, 'Be the change you want to see,' haunts me. I just feel like I can't keep stomping around pointing the finger at BP when I am supporting the oil industry with my very own dollars and actions by buying their products, helping to pay their mortgage - plastic is from oil... polyester, shower curtains.

My acting teacher used to say that people reveal themselves in their opposites.

People can do all kinds of things that maybe aren't wise in hindsight because of jealousy.

I am no longer able to be anonymous.

Unless you're a serial killer, you're worried about being liked by somebody.

One of my main techniques for acting is I try to know almost nothing beyond the words that I have to say, because that's my zone of control.

Sometimes I'll read an audition and I'll get a very strong first impression about who the person is, and I usually go with it.

I can watch endless humans get killed, but if I see a movie and they kill a dog, I practically want to walk out.

My personal style is really comfy: flats, tennis shoes, ponytails, no makeup,

So much of our lives are defined by habit or what the guy next to us is doing, never wondering and knowing who and what we support with our actions, from the detergent Mom always used, to my favorite dish I make... A lot of my life is unexamined habit.

I, personally, like to get dressed and then do my makeup and hair in about five minutes.

Fans are afraid to meet me. They're sort of afraid for their lives and won't look me in the eye.

The movies and TV shows I like to watch tend to put their characters in situations where they have to dig deeper.

I will never be ok with the suffering of others - that I will likely continue to fight so I must treat it as a marathon race not a sprint.

I have discovered that I cannot ignore the infliction of suffering - especially for my convenience or pleasure! It's as if a puppy is being kicked in front of me. I must try to do something.

I have little space from the suffering of elephants right now. I wake up with it and go to sleep with it. The plight of animals in shelters, of kids used for labor for the metals in our electronics and endless other things, the fate of our water supply to dye our blue jeans and water our lawns, the sad painful life of conventionally raised meat...For me, I am working to not contribute to this. I really don't want to hurt others for my benefit.

If you wear clothing, and put out trash you are using up resources that others also need BUT I can pay attention and I can do better. That I know for sure about me, my soul needs to try or I can't lay my head down on my pillow at night and even hope to sleep.

I tend to worry about each "emergency" or unforeseen complication on all my projects. But there are so many! All of life is unforeseen! So I am learning that is the cycle of life - everything is cyclical and temporary and to get ok with that someday could be my greatest achievement.

I was collecting Barbies. I know... embarrassing. I sold them all on eBay, and traded them for vintage dishes. So I've collected two things.

As an actor, you can't play big, huge things. But, what you can play is love for your father and caring for your daughter and being afraid, and having to dig deep and find out what you're made of. All of those things have been incredibly fun to play.

I have to remember to not criticize other networks for other shows when I'm doing interviews because some day I'm going to be going to them, looking for a job, I'm assuming.

I went to school for fine art. I'm a decent housepainter, but I'm a really good fine art painter.

What I would hope to do is painting, because I don't think I'm qualified for anything else. My last job would be babysitting, so I don't think Starbucks would even hire me.

The one thing I've come to figure out is this equation where the more uncomfortable I am, the better I'm going to look. I'm like, "This one really hurts. I must look awesome!" The corsets are uncomfortable, but they are so flattering. No, my waist will never be that small.

I was a maid, so cleaning toilets wasn't my favorite thing, but honestly, standing outside all day in the cold was worse.

Anytime you walk onto a stage or something where there's lots of people staring at you, you need to have something inspiring inside your head. Bolstering.

I've heard stories about me as a kid. My dad got me a T-shirt that said "here comes trouble," and when I ask my mom what I was like, she just sighs with this weary tone and says, "Oh, you were really busy."

I would give a lot to actually be able to glamour China into not wanting ivory. I can't even tell you how much I would give to be able to stop the illicit trade of Africa's wildlife, and to just look into the president of China's eyes and say, "You don't want this anymore, your country doesn't want this anymore," and have it be done. That would be great.

When I turn on my central air conditioner, I feel like, "Wow, I really have come a long way." Or buying the super expensive organic raw food for my dogs, and I remember when I had to buy the cheapest big bag of kibble. So I think for me it's often in terms of comfort.

I've been married for four years, and I'm still finding out things about my husband.

I'm getting the jobs that are a gift, and also the jobs that I do because I just love them. That's ideal, for anybody. I get to enjoy the day that I go to work. I actually enjoy every minute of the day.

I have more things going on right now than I can actually do without the invention of a cloning device. It is great!

My best source of grounding are animals and nature. Animals live more in the moment and don't worry so much! And nature is proof of a greater power than myself. Both put things in perspective, or at least gently move us forward.

I'm focusing on quality versus quantity - a nicer tee-shirt with organic cotton and buying just one or two instead of five that are cheaper but made with GMO cotton, which is hard on Earth, sewn by slave labor, shipped all the way from China on boats that use lots of oil and can kill whales with ship strikes and sold by (some) companies that could treat their

The loss of free will I find unacceptable - what most of us refer to as rights.

Art and the triumph of the human spirit - the two combined thrill me.

As an actor, I look at first what I can borrow from what I really feel.

That evidence of the spirit of life is what makes me get out of bed in the morning.

I've had my share, less than so many though, but enough to feel empathy. It's tough and I see it so much on Earth, too much suffering. The loss of free will I find unacceptable - what most of us refer to as rights.

I am either blessed or cursed with having little barrier between feeling emotions and displaying them for all to see. My heart is on my sleeve. It's not comfortable but... I am an artist so it's useful and my friends are used to me getting teary at any moment.

Africa is being raped mainly by Asia, but the second largest market for dead endangered animals is the US. Most don't know this is happening. I didn't, but once I found out, I had to try and help.

I really don't want to hurt others for my benefit.

To hear that you're doing something that other people are enjoying, it's a fun game. It's like hitting a tennis ball over the net, and somebody hits it back. That's what it feels like with the fans. It feels like someone else is participating in my creation, and it's quite incredible.