Ava DuVernay Quotes
The studios aren't lining up to make films about black protagonists, black people being autonomous and independent.
Quotes to Explore
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My first agent told me to change my name or I'd only play Jewish parts or Indians. Of course I refused to change it. Shortly thereafter she came up to me and told me I had to keep it, because her numerologist said it was very, very good.
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There's always going to be a little bit of autobiographical content to everything. It's how you lend some authority to what you write - you give it that weight by drawing on your direct experiences and indirect experiences from people that you know well, or a little.
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I think people are going to like my new shoes. I like them. I had a lot of success with the one last year, but this year's shoe is going to be a little different, but at the same time it's going to be a little spin-off on last year's shoe.
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People in love don't see gender, colour or religion. Or age. It's about the other person, the one that you love and who loves you. You don't think of them in terms of a label. You just go with your heart.
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I think that people that are not sensitive, who seem to bang through life, do survive, but I don't think they get the really soaring feelings that people who are more artistically bent can get.
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One of my personal plights in this business is about playing 'The Sassy Black Girl.'
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The way I'm portrayed on the Internet is partly my doing, but it's partly the people that are presenting it so, you know, people come to know this strange version of a human. It can be pretty weird because people think I'm digging through dumpsters and smell like crap all the time.
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Helping people boost themselves out of poverty is the best way to make a lasting positive difference in a person's life.
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Black Sabbath invented heavy metal, in my opinion.
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People who have a sense of peace that their priorities are in the right place also have a sense of humility and a realistic view on life.
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In America, people buy cars, and they put very little money down. They get a car, and they go to work. The work pays them a salary; the salary allows them to pay for the car over time. The car pays for itself.
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You must go after your wish. As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning.
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The Illinois Constitution was written before they realized they'd have a city the size of Chicago in the state. The constitution had severe limits on the ability of any city to raise monies through taxes and bonds. When Chicago grew explosively, they had to come up with ways of getting more money to do more things.
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Cinema is a thankless industry where sometimes to appear on the cinematic scenery is a thing for late bloomers and people who are very patient. The places are accounted, and the space is often unwelcoming. Money is rare, and independent voices are muted by the almost complete absence of risk takers.
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A lot of people put pressure on me, but I don't think I feel that type of pressure. It is more of a good thing that people are trying to do that.
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It brings up happy old days when I was only a farmer and not an agriculturist.
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As a kid growing up, I put a lot of pressure on myself.
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Steven Spielberg was my idol growing up. I knew that all of his movies have a very specific message and point of view, and the always are really epic.
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Take control of your image, your branding, from the beginning. It even includes how you dress, since people judge you that way.
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As I've gotten older, I've gotten simpler - my level of aspiration has actually gone down and down. But my level of impact has gone up and up.
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When Kate Spade New York told me that we would be going to Dubai to celebrate the opening of two stores there, I was so thrilled - Dubai has been a place that I have wanted to visit for quite some time. There was something mysterious about Dubai that I wanted to see for myself so I could draw my own conclusions.
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The studios aren't lining up to make films about black protagonists, black people being autonomous and independent.
