Denzel Washington

Photo: Kwaku Alston


"People who say they knew right away are lying! It's a marathon, not a sprint." — Denzel Washington

Elie Wiesel

Photo: Sergey Bermeniev


"After my liberation, I fell in love with every girl—consecutively. But I would never dare tell a girl that I loved her, because I was timid—and afraid of rejection. I missed so many opportunities because I was afraid to say what I felt. I needed to love more than I needed to be loved. I needed to know that I could love—that after all I had seen, there was love in my heart." — Elie Wiesel

Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld

Photo: Timothy White


"Marriage is a subject that does not give way to analysis, sadly. Who should I marry? You can make all the charts and have all the discussions, but it doesn't guarantee anything. I knew I felt right, and that's all you have. Marriage is a big bet. It's the only bet of its kind, one in which you say, "This feels right...I think I'll change everything.'" — Jerry Seinfeld, with wife Jessica

Barbra Streisand

Photo: Firooz Zahedi


"Relationships are about kindness. You have to constantly watch what you say and how you say it." — Barbra Streisand

Jay Leno

Photo: Rob Howard


"There's nothing worth arguing about. I married a sensible, intelligent person, and if we want this thing to work bad enough, then it can. It's very logical. Making her happy or making her laugh is a priority." — Jay Leno

Tom Hanks

Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage.comĀ 


"Our connection is as concrete as me sitting here. Not that marriage doesn't come close to being hell in a handbasket sometimes. But we both know that no matter what, we'll be with each other—and we'll get through it." — Tom Hanks, with wife Rita

Jon Stewart

Photo: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com


"Let me put it this way: If I were single, this interview would have been a much different experience. You'd be surrounded by boxes." — Jon Stewart, on whether marriage changed his lifestyle

Mary J. Blige

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com


"It's difficult for me to be with someone who tells me the truth, because I come from a family of women who are fighters; they don't listen to men. I have issues with hearing him. But I'm growing." — Mary J. Blige, with husband Kendu

Blair Underwood

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"[I realized] she didn't expect me to always have an answer for her. She wasn't coming to me for a repair. She just needed a shoulder to cry on. From then on, my relationship with my wife, with my mother, female friends, sisters, has opened up. They have become more honest, and we've gotten to know one another better. I'm no longer afraid to not know." — Blair Underwood, with wife Desiree

Chris Rock

Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com


"It's hard working in the benevolent dictatorship of show business and then coming home to a democracy." — Chris Rock, with wife Malaak

Maya Angelou

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"When I love somebody, I like him to be around; I like him to take me out to dinner; I like to look at the sunset with him. But if not, I love him and I hope he's looking at the same sun I am. Loving someone liberates the lover as well as the beloved. And that kind of love comes with age." — Maya Angelou

All quotes from O, The Oprah Magazine interviews.