Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot.

Over and over again, I'm trying to express or communicate these big and small struggles to the world, and really to myself.

I live my life pretty emotionally, for better and for worse. I'm pretty thin-skinned and transparent. I lead with my heart, and I wanted to make a movie that did the same.

I just know what I go through, and I know how to speak on it in an interesting way.

As soon as you start to think of that thing that you want to convey or say, you can always just say it much better than you can actually rhyme it or stuff it into a song. It's very, very difficult to just kind of get your point across without going the back way. And you have to be good at that, to not think about things so hard. Let the pen take over, so that it's somebody else's job to dissect the lyrics and tell you what you're all about.

It is really hard to completely re-learn how to express yourself without using words. When you take away speech, you have to re-invent the way you express yourself. You have to exaggerate your body language and your facial expressions.

You can't express emotion without giving information.

What men don't want, in fact what anyone who's any sort of thrill-seeking, intelligent adult doesn't want, is some crushing bore describing their emotions in real time every waking hour.

I've learned not to hide behind a veil of irony - to talk about my work in a more honest way.

You can't fake listening. It shows.

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.

If your character doesn't express himself or doesn't feel confident expressing himself, then you don't express yourself.

I feel as though there are things that I'm trying to do - you know, capturing truthfully some aspect of human experience - and I'm trying really hard not to be fake. And in writing, as in life, it's harder than you think.

To hear someone talk about their life - you get to know the way their eyes moisten up, how big the smile is or how comfortable their body language is while talking to someone.

I'm a very what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of person, and my family always laughs at me. They're like, 'You have minus-zero poker-face skills. We just have to look at your face and we know what's wrong with you.'

One should say what he/she feels.

I've done a few face palms after things I've said because it's stupid. But if I'm not like that, I won't feel human anymore. I'll just feel like some robot saying what I'm supposed to say. I think that's when people lose it.

Emotional sounds don't lie.

For me, the importance in learning about the dance is using it as a voice. It's not about a step, it's about a way to express oneself.

I am showing my emotions sometimes, and I can't help it. That's the way I am.

I am an emotional guy. I try to be very honest.

I am an honest person, and that includes showing my emotions - good or bad.

I like men who straightforwardly express their emotions.

Being able to express yourself is one of the hardest things in the world.

I've never had trouble talking and expressing my feelings.