Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith
American Actress
Born: Sep 18, 1950
About Been People Think Work You
Related authors: Ali Wong Ariana Grande Bette Davis Carol Burnett Lily Tomlin Mae West Marilyn Monroe Teri Garr
Racism has been for everyone like a horrible, tragic car crash, and we've all been heavily sedated from it. If we don't come into consciousness of this tragedy, there's going to be a violent awakening we don't want. The question is, can we wake up? Anna Deavere Smith
Racism Wake Up Car Everyone Has-Been Horrible Come Like Been Question Tragedy Wake Tragic Up Going Want Crash Awakening Consciousness Violent
My work is about giving voice to the unheard, and reiterating the voice of the heard in such a way that you question, or re-examine, what is the truth. Anna Deavere Smith
Work Truth You Giving Way About Voice Re-Examine Heard Question Unheard Such A Way
I am lucky: I have fantastic doctors and a fantastic dentist. Anna Deavere Smith
Doctors Am Dentist Fantastic Lucky
Identity is an assemblage of constellations. Anna Deavere Smith
Constellations Identity Assemblage
Listening is not just hearing what someone tells you word for word. You have to listen with a heart. I don't want that to sound touchy-feely; it is not. It is very hard work. Anna Deavere Smith
Work Hard Work You Heart Listening Word Tells Someone Sound Hearing Very Listen Just Want Hard
Artists are the people that no matter what, pick up the pen, pick up a paintbrush. They take the time to translate what is happening to create something that resonates deeply with the rest of the people that are caught in the middle of their own reality. Anna Deavere Smith
Time Reality People Matter Rest Own Resonates Pen Something Take Pick Caught Up Artists Middle Happening Translate Create Paintbrush Deeply
I made a real specific decision when I came out of school and most artists were writing about home - if you were a woman, you were writing about being a woman - and I decided not to do that, write about what you know. That's not what I do. I went as far away from home as possible in terms of the development of my imagination. Anna Deavere Smith
Home You Woman Writing School Decision Made Imagination Out Possible About Write Development Know Most Terms Real Came Were Artists Being Decided Far Far Away Away Specific
To live your life well, and have respect for what came before or after - there's a strong respect for that in African culture. Anna Deavere Smith
Life Respect Culture Strong Before Live Well Came African After Your
I see myself as not a typical theater person, but a person who uses the theater as a place to meet people and explore ideas. Anna Deavere Smith
Myself People Meet Typical See Ideas Person Place Theater Explore Who Uses
You know, real artists, we expose our flaws. We long for intimacy. Anna Deavere Smith
You Long Our Intimacy Know Real Artists Flaws Expose
I don't talk a lot when I interview. My job is to get out of the way. Anna Deavere Smith
Job Interview Way Out Talk Lot Get
Each person has a literature inside them. Anna Deavere Smith
Inside Person Literature Them Each
In my profession, I'm around a lot of people whose bodies are their instruments in one way or another. Anna Deavere Smith
People Way One-Way Instruments Another Around Lot Bodies Profession Whose
We owe the government taxes. We owe our creditors interest. What do these powers owe us? Anna Deavere Smith
Government Our Powers Owe Interest Taxes Us Creditors
You know, all kinds of people inspire me. Anna Deavere Smith
Me You People Inspire Kinds Know
I think we need leadership that helps us remember that part of what we are about is caring about more than the person right next to us, but the folks across the way. Anna Deavere Smith
Leadership Remember Think Caring Way Folks About More Part Than Person Us Next Across Helps Right Need
For me, first of all, I love people, I love ideas. Anna Deavere Smith
Love Me People First Ideas First Of All
I feel like my work has been my path to freedom from having grown up in a segregated environment. Anna Deavere Smith
Work Freedom Path Has-Been Having Segregated Environment Freedom From Feel Like Been Up Grown Grown-Up
I remember from my father's funeral that the minister kept using a metaphor about life of a prism. And I took that away like a cherished image. Anna Deavere Smith
Life Remember Father Took Minister About Like Metaphor Prism Cherished Using Away Image Funeral Kept
I think some of our most talented people are not going to pick the arts as a way that they're going to spend their lives. Anna Deavere Smith
People Think Our Spend Way Some Pick Talented Talented People Most Going Arts Lives
Suddenly in high school, I'm in a predominantly Jewish atmosphere. Jewish people were my gate to white America. Anna Deavere Smith
People School White Jewish People High Atmosphere High School Were America Suddenly Gate Jewish
I write plays about big, intense subjects. Anna Deavere Smith
Big About Write Subjects Intense Plays
What my work is, is my approach to it. It's the practice. And my work is about the effort that I make to get there. And I think if there's anything artistic, it's in that middle space. Anna Deavere Smith
Work Space Practice Think Approach About Make Effort Get Artistic Middle Anything
Because of the generation in which I came into the world, there were expectations. Of course there were expectations. It was something having to do with being a respectable Negro woman who would make the people in Baltimore proud. Anna Deavere Smith
Woman Generation People World Respectable Would Something Having Make Course Because Proud Came Were Baltimore Expectations Being Which Who
We would like doctors to listen, but the fact is, we better be ready to be able to talk to them. You're going to have to be an active participant in that conversation, so I'd say the American people are going to need ways of stepping up to the conversation. Anna Deavere Smith
You Conversation People Better Doctors Active Say Ways Would Able Fact Participant Stepping Like Talk Ready Up American Going Listen Them American People Need
President Obama called for a 'we' nation in his Inauguration Address. Art convenes. It is not just inspirational. It is aspirational. It pricks the walls of our compartmentalized minds, opens our hearts and makes us brave. And that's what we need most in our country today. Anna Deavere Smith
Inspirational Today Art Walls Country Nation President Our President Obama Minds Address Obama Most Opens Makes His Hearts Brave Just Us Inauguration Need
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