Lynsey Addario

“It seems like, yeah, of course - I always think my work is important, or I wouldn't risk my life for it.”

“The Taliban rose to power in 1996, vowing stability and an end to the violence raging across the country between warring mujahedeen factions, and to implement rule by Sharia law, or strict Islamic rule.”

“Don't expect things to happen fast. Be empathetic with the people you are photographing. Don't be concerned about money.”

“I just immediately connect everything to the wars I have been covering overseas, and that's not the case back home. I wrongly assumed all Americans at home were as consumed with our troops in Afghanistan as I was abroad.”

“I've rarely seen portrayals of photojournalists that seem accurate.”

“I remember the moment in which we were taken hostage in Libya, and we were asked to lie face down on the ground, and they started putting our arms behind our backs and started tying us up. And we were each begging for our lives because they were deciding whether to execute us, and they had guns to our heads.”

“I knew that my interest lied in international stories. I was interested in how women were living under the Taliban, for example.”

“I didn't want my gender to determine whether or not I could cover breaking news.”

“I've always wanted to do a photo book, but I've never done one because I've never felt ready; I just didn't feel my work was good enough.”

“It's very hard to turn your back once you're aware of what's going on, and you're aware of the injustices, and you're aware of the civilian casualties. It's much easier if you have no idea and you've never seen it.”

“I come from a big family of hairdressers; they didn't read newspapers. I would say, 'I'm off to Afghanistan...' and they would say, 'Have fun!'”

“In so many countries, Western journalists are viewed simply as dollar signs. We're ransom objects.”

“I always knew my death would be a possible consequence of the work I do. But for me it was a price I was willing to pay because this is what I believed in.”

“If I'm doing a story on how a single mother copes in a refugee camp, I'll go to her tent; I'll follow her when she's working, see what her daily life is like, and try to pack that into one composition, with nice light, in one frame.”

“If publications want to publish images and stories from a certain person, they should put that person on assignment, cover his or her expenses, make sure they have access to security briefings and experts, someone to administer first aid, etc.”

“I got rejected from journalism school!”

“Journalists dedicate their lives to covering war - they make many personal sacrifices, and it's not something that's gender-based. In a place like Libya where there's heavy fighting, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman.”

“Family is such a fundamental part of Islam, and women run the family. I had to force myself not to impose my own definition of political and social freedom on women in Islam, and approach each story objectively.”

“It was nice to be in my own country, where I didn't need a translator or a driver. Where I didn't need to figure out cultural references or what hijab I needed to wear to cover my hair.”

“I started freelancing for the Associated Press. I had a great mentor there who sort of taught me everything.”