"I'm trying to figure out what is mine to say."
This quote encapsulates the quest for authenticity and individual identity that many artists, including Anna Deavere Smith, experience. By stating "I'm trying to figure out what is mine to say," Smith highlights the importance of finding one's unique voice and perspective in the creative process. It suggests a deep introspection, where she's sifting through her experiences, beliefs, and emotions to uncover the stories that are deeply personal yet resonant for a wider audience. This journey towards self-discovery is essential for creating meaningful and impactful art.
"We live in each other's pockets."
The quote "We live in each other's pockets" by Anna Deavere Smith suggests a close interconnectedness between individuals, where we deeply impact and influence each other's lives. In today's society, with increased globalization, social media, and cultural exchange, this statement rings particularly true. Our choices, actions, and interactions ripple out to touch many others around us, often in ways that are unforeseen or underestimated. Thus, we are not merely separate entities but rather intertwined parts of a larger whole, living with profound implications for one another.
"I don't believe in identity politics. I think we are all of us a thousand different things."
Anna Deavere Smith suggests that people should not be defined by one aspect or identity, but rather as a complex amalgamation of multiple identities, experiences, and traits. This statement encourages an understanding and appreciation for the richness and diversity of human identity, emphasizing that no single element can completely define a person. Instead, she urges us to view each other with a holistic perspective, valuing the complexity and depth within every individual. In this way, her quote promotes empathy, inclusivity, and respect in our interactions with others.
"A big part of who we are is our relationship to the place where we grew up."
This quote emphasizes that our identity, or who we are as individuals, is significantly shaped by our experiences in the geographical location where we were raised. The environment, culture, values, and people we encounter in our hometowns have a profound impact on our perspectives, beliefs, behaviors, and even our worldview. This relationship to our place of upbringing helps form the foundation of our unique personalities and sense of self.
"Theater can take you into the mind of another, and that's not common in everyday life."
This quote by Anna Deavere Smith suggests that theater has a unique ability to provide an extraordinary experience: it allows us to peer inside someone else's thoughts and emotions, which is not typically accessible in our daily interactions. In the theater, characters are presented as complex individuals with their own perspectives, feelings, and motivations. By engaging with these portrayals, audience members can gain a deeper understanding of others that might otherwise remain hidden or unfathomable in everyday life.
Well, the terrible thing right now, and I don't know the statistics, but there's a growing concern in some communities about how rapidly people are sent from school to jail, how quickly they're put into the criminal justice system. And of course the rapidly growing number of brown people, both men and women, in prison. And this is terrible.
- Anna Deavere Smith
I think a lot of L.A. is something like USC - this incredible white culture living in the midst of color, and no obvious reaction to it at all. I mean, they have guards at the gate at USC - guards at the gate of a major university! And the guards chase young black boys away - I've seen it, chasing 8-year-old boys.
- Anna Deavere Smith
I talk about race a lot. It's been my work ever since I came out of acting school. But it's true that in a way talking about race is a taboo. Because so many of our debates about race have to do not with race but with what we are willing to see, what we will not see and what we don't want to see.
- Anna Deavere Smith
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