Chrissy Metz

“It's very strange. I can't go anywhere without somebody stopping me, which is so cool that I get to connect to people that I never might've ever spoken to, or they have an impetus to speak to me. It's created a career that I wasn't sure if I'd ever really have.”

“I try to be present in the moment and to be authentic, and to listen.”

“When you listen, as a human being and an actor, you can react authentically.”

“It's impossible to accept love from anyone else if you don't love yourself. It's a big issue, particularly for us plus-size ladies and for anyone dealing with weight, because we're not taught to love ourselves or be our own cheerleaders.”

“I'm the middle child.”

“I was always the class clown, and I think I gravitated toward performing for the attention I didn't always think I was getting at home.”

“Whether you're tall and you play a basketball player, or overweight and you play somebody who is dealing with the issues behind the weight, we all have to pull from real life to make those performances authentic.”

“I kept auditioning, with no savings and no money, credit card debt gaining interest. I went on unemployment. I bought ramen noodles at dollar stores. I never had to - God forbid - live on the streets.”

“I want to wear something because I love it, not because it follows the rules.”

“I just feel really grateful that I can pursue my dreams and also reach people in ways that I never expected.”

“Sometimes I feel like I'm two people. I'm proud of who I am as a person, but I do want to be at a healthy weight.”

“I think everyone has shame about something, whether it's a lack of a relationship with a child or maybe their weight or a lack of communication within their marriage. Everyone can relate to that because we all have something that we're like, 'God, I can work on that,' or, 'I wish I was better at doing this.'”

“It can be very hard to find clothing for different body shapes. After all, there are only, what, five companies for plus-size women?”

“I remember being at Weight Watchers at, like, 11 years old and my mom just trying to figure it out for me.”

“At the end of the day... my love for my body... comes from within.”

“I'm on this journey to inspire people and to encourage them.”

“Size doesn't equate to beauty. I don't understand why that's a thing. Well, I do, because the media has told us thin is beautiful. But is it?”

“I don't have to have a man in my life, and I think men are attracted to that.”

“You can't be hateful because you love yourself. And we're extensions of each other; we're all connected.”

“When I booked 'This Is Us,' I had 81 cents in my bank account.”