12 Lovely Parenting Quotes From Keira Knightley

“She did want to be a dentist, which I was super happy about because I thought, ‘You know that’s a stable career’ ... It was ‘Peppa Pig.’ There was a dentist episode, she wanted to be a dentist. Now she wants to a be a lion , which I think is slightly more problematic. But she roars very well! ... I am going to support her in anything that she wants to do.”

On The Challenge Of Motherhood

“I don’t think we give women enough credit for the physical and emotional marathon they go through when becoming a mother. I come from a place of amazing privilege. I have an incredible support system; I’ve been unbelievably lucky in my career; I can afford good childcare, and yet I still find it really fucking difficult. It’s OK to say that . It doesn’t mean I don’t love my kid, it’s just me admitting that the sleep deprivation, the hormonal changes, the shift in relationship with my partner, are all things that make me feel as if I’m failing on a daily basis. I have to remind myself that I haven’t failed, I’m just doing what I can do, but it’s not easy.”

On Certain Princess Movies

On Papparazzi 

“There’s nothing sexy about trying to control a 3-year-old. So I’m pretty much left alone now.”

On Parenthood’s Effect On Her Work

On Disney Movies

“I love ‘Frozen,’ I am 100 percent Team ‘Frozen’ and Team ‘Moana.’ ‘Moana’ is big in our house, ‘Inside Out’ is big in our house, I just wonder what Elsa would say to Ariel and Cinderella because Elsa has some serious opinions about Anna going off with a guy that she’s only just met and saying she would marry him. She is like, ‘Absolutely that is not OK,’ and in fact everyone in ‘Frozen’ is not OK with that. What would Elsa say to Ariel , who gives up her voice for a man? A man, by the way, she has only seen dance round a ship and then drown! And it’s 100 percent amazing of Ariel to save the guy, I’m totally up for that, but what would Elsa make of that? I think Elsa would be like: ‘Babe, you’ve got to get to know him better, don’t give up your voice yet.’” 

On Becoming A Mother

“The love thing is astonishing. It’s a very primal, primal love. That’s quite extraordinary . And the ability to have no sleep and continue going. It’s not pleasant I never thought that I could actually do it for the amount of time that I’ve done it. Also, I have to say, as a woman, you hate certain parts of your body. You go through those periods where you look in the mirror and you think, Oh, if only I had different legs or arms or whatever. You go through pregnancy and labor and then feeding the kid and you go, Wow, my body is totally amazing, and I’m never going to not like it again, because it did this, and this is fucking extraordinary.”

On Her Daughter

“She’s great in every way. She’s obviously a genius, and obviously the best child in the entire world. And very well made . But yeah, I’m very lucky. She’s great. She’s totally great.”