Lindsay Lohan is on the cover of the new Marie Claire talking Sam Ronson, talking RDJ, talking her new perspective on career and lifestyle, and talking about never going back there.

It’s the never going back that so many people remain skeptical about, especially since the thinnification lately has been so pronounced. Still…she insists. And she says Robert Downey Jr is her inspiration:

"He's an amazing actor. Look at people like that who have gone through sh-t and had to work that much harder to get to where they are now. I've learned. I'll never go back. And it's not a never-say-never type thing - it's just, I know. I know."

Really? Does she know?

Hopefully. Hopefully she knows. Hopefully SamRo knows too.

The good news?

Lindsay’s manager sounds like she’s a player. Indeed, since taking over from Dina Lohan, it’s been a smart series of good moves and the Lilo we see most often these days is on set, at work, using the paps to float the notion that she’s hireable again, as illustrated yesterday on location for Ugly Betty in New York wearing a Herve Leger and rockin’ a little starvation bloat around the belly.

The new manager has also had a positive influence on her personal life. Lindsay is looking for stability, acknowledging that hotel living for so long was a mistake – one that was encouraged by Dina and one that exacerbated her problems.

So she wants to buy a house. With someone special. And while she does not reveal by name who that might be, Samantha is never far from her mind:

"Samantha has a bunch of stars (tattooed on her), so I got that. And she got this (heart like me). Um, people can think what they want. I'm really happy, and that's all that matters. She's a great person. And she's a great influence on people around her. But I think that anything that's changed in my life is because of me. I've gone through it and I've had to deal with it and I've made the decision to move forward. So yeah, she's a great person."

For more on the Marie Claire interview, click here.

Oh and heads up Toronto: Lindsay and Samantha are returning this Friday for a party at Ultra. Sam is spinning, Lilo is hosting.

Photos from Splashnewsonline.com