Deborah Joy Winans Quotes

To be able to be onstage and to hear people in the audience go, 'That's my song!' It's amazing.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I didn't have drama in high school. So when I graduated high school and started at Wayne State in Detroit, I told my parents I was going to major in theater. And they were like, 'OK. Why? You've never done it.' But, it was just what I wanted, and they came to see my very first show and, from then, completely supported me.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I often joke with my husband and say to him, 'You know I have two theatre degrees, right? That's all I know how to do.' LOL! He went to Pepperdine Law School, has four degrees, and passed the California Bar first time around, so I always make sure he doesn't expect too much from me.

- Deborah Joy Winans

Health and a positive body image are part of my personal values.

- Deborah Joy Winans

My first job out of CalArts was performing monologues at the Women of Faith conferences across the country.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I got my B.F.A. at Wayne State. Moved to L.A. and got my M.F.A. from Cal Arts in acting and just worked hard.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I was at a point of asking God whether acting was what He really wanted me to do. Oprah Winfrey came to one of my workshops, and a couple of months later, she reached out to Uncle BeBe, who co-wrote 'Born For This.' Oprah told him she was interested in me for the role of Charity on 'Greenleaf' and asked him to help her contact me.

- Deborah Joy Winans

That's the best worship you can get when the worship leader is there with no other intentions and ready to sing their heart out for the Lord.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I sang in the choir growing up and more recently served on the worship team at my church in California.

- Deborah Joy Winans

When you're in a church, and you're singing about the presence of the Lord, it is so hard not to get overjoyed because I know Him.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I was at a point where I couldn't find an agent or a manager, and I said, 'Okay, Lord. If this is what you have for me, I need you to work that. I need you to open doors.' I was at that point of truly surrendering whatever my will was, and, 'Lord, if this is what You want, You do it.' And, He did it.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I remember telling the Lord - I was about seventeen or eighteen - I'm like, 'Lord, I'm never gonna sing. You know that's my family's thing; that not what I do.'

- Deborah Joy Winans

I love my family's music because I love it. It's good. I listen to the Winans all the time. I listen to BeBe and CeCe. I listen to Angie and Debbie. I listen to Uncle Daniel. I listen to Phase 2, my two brothers and my two cousins. I think they're incredible.

- Deborah Joy Winans

'Greenleaf' is nothing like 'Empire.' I think 'Empire' stands alone in what they are doing. It's a wonderful show. The only thing that is similar though is that they are black families - the shows in it of themselves have very different dynamics.

- Deborah Joy Winans

In a family of faith, you don't believe in divorce; you believe you can make it.

- Deborah Joy Winans

My Auntie CeCe - I can kind of joke and say all I need to do is pray. But that's literally what she does... She lives what she sings. I've learned a lot about her in that way, so in bringing her to the stage, I knew what sort of demeanor she needed to have. Her songs are very reflective of who she is in real life.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I love the Lord. I did grow up in a gospel family.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I love acting since I was little girl. I went to school for it; that's all I worked on. That's all I prepared for.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I think my biggest thing is if you don't believe in you, then others are not going to believe in you.

- Deborah Joy Winans

We're a really close family, and that was what my grandparents promoted.

- Deborah Joy Winans

Greenleaf' is about family, but also about faith and failure and real human life.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I think that a sense of loyalty is something that a lot of people lack, just period, in life.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I just entered the wonderful world of 40s, so anything anti-aging, I'm jumping on.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I have 18 or 19 first cousins, and we're all very close.

- Deborah Joy Winans

My parents would take us to double-feature movies on the weekends, and I would just point at the screen and tell them that that's what I wanted to do.

- Deborah Joy Winans

Being from a family in church and being a Christian myself, I pray daily.

- Deborah Joy Winans

I actually never wanted to sing, and I thought that I was never going to sing, but I see that God had other plans.

- Deborah Joy Winans