Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.

Anna Deavere Smith

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• I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.

  

  Yogi Berra
  • School
  • Kids
  • Like

• I was born and brought up in Chennai, as the entire Telugu film industry was based there.

  

  Mahesh Babu
  • Up
  • Film
  • Born

• I think that's what the most fascinating part of getting to know someone is - to see how they do things, and how their way of doing things is different from your way of doing things, and the fun of trying to do it their way and to see what value there is in looking at things from their perspective.

  

  Kali Hawk
  • Different
  • Trying
  • Fun

• What's really important to me is that we have fiscally responsible balanced budgets.

  

  Maggie Hassan
  • Important
  • Me
  • Responsible

• With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half.

  

  Otto von Bismarck
  • Try
  • Gentleman
  • To Be

• It's a cliche, but there really is no handbook about the celebrity thing; you have to figure it out as you go along.

  

  Nathan Lane
  • You
  • Celebrity
  • Really

• Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?

  

  Walt Whitman
  • Great
  • You
  • Learning

• I don't mind what Congress does, as long as they don't do it in the streets and frighten the horses.

  

  Victor Hugo
  • Long
  • Mind
  • Streets

• I want to keep a thread between the studio and the stage, and I want to flow more easily from one to the other.

  

  Damien Rice
  • Want
  • Stage
  • Flow

• Entrenched scriptural literalism is, in my opinion, completely out of touch with reality.

  

  Malcolm Boyd
  • Reality
  • Opinion
  • Touch

• I know my fans want me on the screen. But I think hero-worship should not be allowed to corrupt the plot and narrative of a film.

  

  Ram Charan
  • Film
  • Hero
  • Fans

• No one wants to see a person on TV who's super-ultra-cool. That's Superman, that's a thing of the past. Heroes are now flawed, and have terrible tempers, you know? They're real people.

  

  Nathan Fillion
  • People
  • Real
  • Past

• And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud.

  

  Walt Whitman
  • Sympathy
  • Without
  • Funeral

• Social Security is too vital to be lumped into backroom budget talks where the views of ordinary Americans risk going unheard.

  

  Ted Deutch
  • Risk
  • Security
  • Budget

• I was the only Christian on the cast, but that was cool because we all respected each others talent and mostly they respected me a lot even though I was the only Christian.

  

  Victoria Jackson
  • Cool
  • Christian
  • Talent

• Nobody can write better jokes putting me down than me.

  

  Garry Shandling
  • Me
  • Better
  • Write

• A fine world in which man reproaches woman with fulfilling his heart's desire!

  

  Karl Kraus
  • World
  • Heart
  • Man

• Jazz has been such a force in music, that any musician, including classical composers, have been influenced, and obviously performers, also.

  

  Yo-Yo Ma
  • Music
  • Force
  • Jazz

• Acting serves as the quintessential social lubricant and a device for protecting our interests and gaining advantage in every aspect of life.

  

  Marlon Brando
  • Life

• I think it's just important to be always bouncing between TV and theater, and hopefully I'll get to do movies at some point.

  

  Katie Lowes
  • Important

• Growing up in Vegas, over time you get to see shows like Tom Jones, Wayne Newton, I mean, The Rat Pack ran Vegas way, way back, and I'm a huge fan of that whole era and vibe.

  

  Ne-Yo
  • Up
  • Time
  • Growing

• I think of it this way: When you hear that people have downloaded your comic, appreciate that thousands are eager to hear what you have to say. The poetry club down the hall may not have the same problem. That's a good problem to have.

  

  Mark Waid
  • People
  • Good
  • May

• Not that many people, even contemporary writers, write about right now.

  

  Anna Deavere Smith
  • People