Valerie Plame Quotes

I need to learn to be more assertive.

I think the main thing which boygenius and I talk about ad nauseum, is that I feel like I just apologise for myself less.

I was raised by a strong mother who always taught me to speak up, I never had difficulty leaving an uncomfortable situation or cutting eye contact; people used to call me cold.

Out of frustration, I say things. Now, people listen to me so much I can say it under my breath and everybody hears me... I said in the past that I'm a work in progress, and I feel like I'm progressing.

As women, we need to remember: don't be a doormat!

Photographers and people do try to take advantage of you. You just have to stand your ground and prove you're not an easy target.

I wanted to try and trace the genuine origins of 'Johnny' and how he so successfully staged this takeover of 'Michael Pennington.' 'Johnny' is a contradiction to who I am as a person. I'm not very good at confrontation, I have a tendency to internalise and to carry things around.

I learned that you can constantly improve, and that you should not be shy about your views, and about the direction that you believe is right.

The only way to get under me is to get over yourself.

Learn to say no in situations where saying no can be difficult, where it could mean getting fired. Say no anyway, because it could lead you to greater opportunities.

I've gotten better at not making people feel uncomfortable with my shyness.

Maybe almost 20 years ago, I was like, 'God, I need to be more direct.' And I found times that I could practice it when it was maybe not my family or friends or co-workers. It's a quality that's rarely disliked.

Knowing who I am as a player and working on my deficiencies, communication is something I try to pride myself on.

I used to be an awful asker. I was the 14-year-old who didn't correct the family I would babysit for when they gave me less money than we had agreed to, because it felt rude and scary.

I'd like to be more assertive when it comes to confrontation. I'm fine on the pitch, but off the pitch, I'm a bit of a softy.

I've just learned how to put things into perspective and how to not be afraid of change while making decisions for myself. Also, asking for what I want and demanding what I need and being more confident in who I am and my ability.

I think it's really important for young audiences to see that you don't have to apologize for being angry when you're angry, and you don't have to apologize for standing up for yourself when people are pushing you around.

I'm trying to hold my head high and not apologize and be nice all the time because that's not always necessary.

I'm still shy - I'm no good at my children's parent-teacher conferences, and I'm slowly learning how to ask for what I want. But I now know that I have a reserve of courage to draw upon when I really need it. There's nothing that I'm too scared to have a go at.

You cannot let people come up in your face and stop you.

There are so many people who will try and make you feel like your opinion doesn't matter, and I've learned how important it is to use your voice.

As I get older, I feel better about myself because I've done a lot of spiritual work on myself and balanced myself out, and so I feel more confident about myself as a person and as a woman.

I learned how to believe in myself. Learned how to set goals, you know, self help books man. I just read every single one I can get a hold of, and I still do.

I learned something from that. If someone asks me something that I really don't want to do, I say no. I have to trust that. And I'm not afraid to talk money.

Nowadays, if you are afraid of confrontation, you are not going to do very well.