Kenya Barris Quotes
My mom went through civil rights; my dad went through civil rights. My name was Kenya because they wanted to give me an African name.
Quotes to Explore
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I have a baby that is 21 months old, and I watch Disney Junior with him. A lot of those shows are about pirates. Even the T-shirts and pajamas I buy for him have pirate themes like, 'Aye-aye, argh and mate.' But, I definitely grew up watching pirates.
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When 'Mulholland Dr.' was voted the Best Film of the Decade, that was very meaningful for me. That film opened up incredible doors for me, and I believe that that was the reason I was given opportunities to play all kinds of characters.
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I understand acting and I understand actors. I don't really understand the world of celebrity. That's just bizarre. Those sorts of elements I'm at sea with.
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Most of my fans, if you were to look on their iPods, you'd see every possible genre of music represented in some capacity.
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All too often, the pitchmen are selling the notion that if you gain 'control' over your financial destiny - pick your own stocks and execute your own trades - it will be the first step on a short road to riches.
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When you argue with your inferiors, you convince them of only one thing: they are as clever as you.
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If you're conservative in Hollywood, you're on a list of people who need to be put in their place.
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With the work that I do as a director, I've got dialogue, camera movement, and character blocking to help create a tone to the piece. In photography, those elements are somewhat void so that tone becomes a bit more subtle but still equally important.
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A lot happens in 20 years.
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I think it's difficult to do fashion for men, because either you become very over-homosexual fashion or very boring fashion. You don't want a boy who looks 15 in a little pair of shorts with some strange art... But to see just a jacket and tie is boring.
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If we want to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, it starts with a fair wage, adequate working conditions, and the resources and support to succeed. Remember: teachers' working conditions are students' learning conditions.
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An artist is attracted to certain kinds of form without knowing why. You adopt a position intuitively; only later do you attempt to rationalize or even justify it.
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Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you.
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I like making movies that people feel inspired by, a film that they will think about a few days after seeing it, and not entertainment that is completely forgettable the moment you walk out of the theater.
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There's no more important bonding thing than a mother doing the daughter's hair. We sit at our mother's knee and learn who we are.
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I grew up with 'Friends' from day one and, like, 'Seinfeld' and 'Frazier,' those sorts of shows, but for sure, 'Friends' was it for our family. Like, we would watch every Thursday night at eight o'clock; I couldn't wait.
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I'm not afraid of heights. I rock climb. I can repel off the side of a building.
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When 'Carmen' premiered in 1875, it was panned by the critics. It survived 45 performances. It was called a musical and moral outrage. After Bizet died, at age 37, 'Carmen' became wildly popular. If you believe in your creation, and the rest of the world is laughing or yelling 'Boo,' don't give up.
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It is the will of the American people that we have a right to protect our flag and this can only be accomplished by passing a Constitutional amendment.
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I do probably come down a little hard on a group of people I call the 'blue chip gays.' I mean people who have managed to become very, very famous and are still very famous partly through staying in the closet, like Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly, Susan Sontag, Harold Brodkey and others.
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I just play to good people; they seem to like what I do, and the more they like it, the more I play.
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I'm concerned a little bit with the culture of celebrating the fundraise. My dad taught me that when you borrow money it's the worst day of your life.
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And worrying is less work than doing something to fix the worry. This is especially true if we're careful to pick the biggest possible problems to worry about. Everybody wants to save the earth; nobody want to help Mom do the dishes.
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My mom went through civil rights; my dad went through civil rights. My name was Kenya because they wanted to give me an African name.
