Meryl Streep: 17 Reflections by an Amazing Woman

Meryl Streep: 17 Reflections by an Amazing Woman
Raquel Aldana

Written and verified by the psychologist Raquel Aldana.

Last update: 14 December, 2021

Meryl Streep is totally herself. That’s why she doesn’t let any expectations for women in film take control over her image or appearance. O ut of all her qualities, it’s her  authenticity, her wisdom, her sensitivity, and her unparalleled acting skills that stand out. 

She has also received many awards and recognitions for her performances and career. She’s had 21 Oscar nominations, which makes her the woman with the most Oscar nominations ever. She won those nominations for her starring role in Sophie’s Choice and The Iron Lady, and her supporting role in Kramer vs. Kramer.

She’s also gotten 30 nominations from the Golden Globes, and won 8. Recently, she won the Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement in 2017. Here are some of her other big recognitions: three Emmys, two Screen Actors Guild awards, two BAFTA awards, and one from the Cannes Film Festival. She has a pretty impressive resume.

meryl streep wearing white shirt

The private Meryl Streep

We don´t know much about Meryl Streep’s private life since she married her current husband. That’s quite impressive as she’s surrounded by tabloids. And they have no problem bringing people up or dragging them down for a little controversy.

We also know that Meryl Streep had a deep love for John Cazale, who died from cancer in 1978. She was with him always. Everyone who saw them together said their relationship was uplifting and remarkable.

After a long, painful period Don Gummer came into her life and ended up being her second great love. Meryl Streep has always said that she never really got over losing Cazale. But Gummer showed her that life goes on, and that the journey she had left to explore could be wonderful. Not in the same way, but still wonderful.

17 of Meryl Streep’s reflections

Meryl’s criticism of Donald Trump and her defense of women’s rights show she’s someone who cares about what happens on this planet. There’s sensitivity in those statements, and wisdom too. She also has a consistent and down to earth world view. This is why her reflections are such a treasure. So let’s look at some of them:

  • Don’t waste so much time thinking about how much you weigh. There is no more mind-numbing, boring, idiotic, self-destructive diversion from the fun of living.”
  • “I no longer have patience for certain things. Not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature, I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me, I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate.”

  • Service is the only thing that’s important about love. Everybody is worried about all this “losing yourself, all this narcissism. Duty. We can’t stand that idea now either. But duty might be a suit of armor you put on to fight for your love.”
  • “I’m really interested in the collaborative thing. It’s what makes it scary because you never know what it’s going to end up like. But you hope. You put yourself in the hands of the best people you can find, and you’re completely dependent on the kindness of strangers and their commitment. It’s like this mutual delusion.”
  • “Instant gratification is not soon enough.”
  • People say, when you have children, everything changes. But maybe things are awakened that were already there.”
  • “I think that you find your own way. You have your own rules. You have your own understanding of yourself, and that’s what you’re going to count on. In the end, it’s what feels right to you, not what your mother told you. Not what some actress told you. Not what anybody else told you but the still, small voice.”
  • “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.”

  • “Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too.”
  • “I let the actions of my life stand for what I am as a human being. Contend with that, not the words.”
  • “You can’t get spoiled if you do your own ironing.”
  • Listening is everything. Listening is the whole deal. That’s what I think. And I mean that in terms of before you work, after you work, in between work, with your children, with your husband, with your friends, with your mother, with your father. It’s everything. And it’s where you learn everything.”
  • “Some people are filled by compassion and a desire to do good, and some simply don’t think anything’s going to make a difference.”
  • If you have a brain, use it.
  • “In my own experience of male and female directors, people have a much, much harder time taking a direct command from a woman. It’s somehow very difficult for people.”
  • “We all make that mistake thinking that the outside…how you look makes you more worthy of love.”
  • “Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything reduces to essentials.”
  • “You just have to keep doing what you do. It’s the lesson I get from my husband: he just says, keep going. Start by starting.”

These are some of the intimate reflections on life Meryl Streep has given us. Sharing her thoughts has been a huge act of generosity for us It’s pretty hard not to let her words seduce you. Because the truth is that they’re full of clarity, certainty, and simplicity.


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.