Latest Anna Deavere Smith Quotes from Interviews

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• Some people study a text very deeply. The people are my text. I study their words and what their words sound like, over and over again. When I was a kid, my grandfather said that "if you say a word often enough, it becomes you." Thinking of that later in life gave me this idea that I could try to become America by learning the words of people from many aspects of the country. It doesn't matter how educated they are. By living in the world and living their experiences, they bring extraordinary truths. I try to do those truths justice.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  Country, Kids, Thinking

  Source: www.motherjones.com

• Poverty makes it very difficult in an already competitive world for kids to get on a straight track where they can actually love learning.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  Kids, Track, World

  Source: www.motherjones.com

• I happen to be a hopeaholic. I tend to look at problems as an opportunity to do some work.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  Opportunity, Looks, Problem

  Source: www.motherjones.com

• Some people study a text very deeply. The people are my text. I study their words and what their words sound like, over and over again.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  People, Sound, Study

  Source: www.motherjones.com

• When I was a kid, my grandfather said that "if you say a word often enough, it becomes you." Thinking of that later in life gave me this idea that I could try to become America by learning the words of people from many aspects of the country.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  Country, Kids, Thinking

  Source: www.motherjones.com

• I think what I am is a "convener"; I like to convene people around ideas.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  Thinking, Ideas, People

  Source: www.motherjones.com

• You've heard that old expression from Shakespeare, 'Just speak the speech'? The words themselves will take you to the reality of the character. And so this led me to interview people.

  Anna Deavere Smith

  Character, Reality, Expression

  Source: www.motherjones.com