Ruby Dee Quotes

The arts are very alive in Ireland, so that had its influence on me. But I consider myself European, really.

My writing has been shaped by the three countries - Sri Lanka, the Philippines and England - I have lived in.

The importance of the arts to the societies in which they thrive is well documented.

Western civilization shapes the content of my films, provides me with subjects that haven't been used before.

Culture is a little like dropping an Alka-Seltzer into a glass - you don't see it, but somehow it does something.

Humanity is the rich effluvium, it is the waste and the manure and the soil, and from it grows the tree of the arts.

I grew up in Washington, D.C. Suffice to say, it was not a garden spot.

Well, I think, you know, the arts are really what - one of the things that make this country strong. We always think it's our economy or our military power, but in fact, I think it's our culture, our civilization, our ideas, our creativity.

I can represent my culture while helping not only the Chinese-American community, but also the community at large.

The older I get, I'm really reminded how important the arts are to our wellbeing as a society.

Russia, France, Germany and China. They revere their writers. America is still a frontier country that almost shudders at the idea of creative expression.

I have a lot of cultural references that have amassed in my brain like shrapnel over the years that are meaningful to me.

I love California. It has such a strong contribution to the history of culture, and popular culture. For better and worse, of course. Even the worst can be interesting to some degree sometimes for somebody creative.

I've always felt very much from a mixed culture - mainly English and French, but also Nigerian, Thai, Mexican. Everything's had its influence on me.

I grew up in East Flatbush in Brooklyn which was an intense neighbourhood filled with different West Indian cultures.

The arts are a response to our individuality and our nature and help to shape our identity. The arts are not a frill and should not be treated as such.

The audiences for some of many of our greatest cultural events—I’m thinking particularly of the Proms [traditional patriotic promenade concerts]—is still a long way from demonstrating that people from different backgrounds feel at ease in being part of this. I know this is not about making every audience completely representative, but if we claim great things for our sectors in terms of their power to bring people together, then we have a right to expect they will do that wherever they can.

A culture is made — or destroyed — by its articulate voices.

No country is fully civilized which cannot appreciate its artists. They make a contribution not just to the entertainment side of life, but to the educational, economic and spiritual sides.

If you kill the arts, you kill love, and you kill progress.

The Latino population has become such a presence. We are part of the American tapestry in a very profound way, in every area you can think of, and are very significant in popular culture.

'The Sound of Silk' will serve as a lens for larger questions about cultural identity in a global society and the potential for individuals to act as catalysts for change.

Tottenham was a dope place to grow up because it's so community-based. It's a melting pot of cultures. I'll always be a north London girl.

When you have a community that's strong in the arts, it brings all sorts of attention and different businesses into the community.

Definitely the Korean culture is very strong to me, and I grew up in Hawaii where Asian-Americans are the dominant culture, but I never thought of myself as the minority.