Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActress
Date of Birth18 September 1950
CountryUnited States of America
selfish mirrors doe
My main concern is theater, and theater does not reflect or mirror society. It has been stingy and selfish, and it has to do better.
sick people want
People who are sick, or who have been sick, or have come close to death have a lot to say - and they want you to hear it.
creative life-is endeavor
Making your life is ultimately an extraordinarily creative endeavor.
race vocabulary people
Many people are afraid to talk about race because it's so emotionally loaded. We don't have the vocabulary to talk about it. Every day, our vocabulary seems more and more inadequate.
expression firsts students
I see myself first and foremost as a student of expression.
determination silly humility
Confidence is a static state. Determination is active. Determination allows for doubt and for humility - both of which are critical in the world today. There is so much that we don’t know, and so much that we know we don’t know. To be overly confident or without doubt seems silly to me. Determination, on the other hand, is a commitment to win, a commitment to fight the good fight.
literature persons
Each person has a literature inside them.
grateful discipline preparation
Be more than ready. Be present in your discipline. Remember your gift. Be grateful for your gift and treat it like a gift. Cherish it, take care of it, and pass it on.
fantasy
Even jealousy is based on fantasies: a fantasy that someone else has what belongs to you.
wall distance fighting
The individuals inside are frequently fighting that their individual voices be heard, while the walls of the place, which are the mask, and the perception, are reluctant to give over to the voices of the individuals. Those in the margins are always trying to get to the center, and those at the center, frequently in the name of tradition, are trying to keep the margins at a distance. Part of the identity of a place is the tension between those in the margins, and those in the center, and they all live behind the walls which wear the tradition.
doctors lucky dentist
I am lucky: I have fantastic doctors and a fantastic dentist.
medication underrated
Friendship is a wildly underrated medication.
opportunity looks problem
I happen to be a hopeaholic. I tend to look at problems as an opportunity to do some work.
curiosity
I am not myself; I am the potential of myself.