Dee Rees Quotes

It never occurred to me that I wouldn't go to college and have a career - as well as a family - of my own. Both my parents, but especially my mother, encouraged me and led me to believe that it was possible.

If I could really move my career much more into predominantly directing, I would jump at that.

I like school very much, and I'll go to college if my career slows down. But kids go to college to be where I am today. Not to put college down, but for me, it would be digressing.

I don't want to just be fully rapping my whole life.

I just don't want to be rapping forever. I love it, but sometimes you got goals for yourself.

I value my education, but I cannot put a value on it. I know it has been worth some money to me - I don't think 'The Post' would have hired me if I had lacked a degree - but I probably could have earned about the same if I had stayed in the insurance business, where I worked while going to college at night.

I've always said I didn't want to coach. But I can't coach in college because I don't have my degree. So I want to give myself opportunities. A degree is something everyone should have.

I started out at Procter & Gamble marketing panty liners, so basically selling women insecurity. I thought there must be more to life than this. Then I was on set for a Dr. Scholl's commercial, and I asked one of the execs, 'How do you get a job behind the camera?' and he said, 'Film school.' So I quit and applied to NYU.

I did engineering, and when people asked me my career plans, I used to say I would do an MBA.

Sometimes I wondered whether I hadn't let my career get confined to one direction, but lately I've decided to accept the fact that I have this opportunity to be successful doing comedies.

I think I can achieve more outside the political arena.

I honestly always thought my Master's in Fine Arts would get me further in the acting world than knowing how to work an espresso machine!

When I was in college, I studied business because I thought I wanted to be a director and producer.

My son is trying to be a sports writer, and my daughter is a college student. She wants to be a comedy writer, and she's at film school. I discouraged both of them early on from getting involved in Starbucks. I didn't think it would be fair; plus, they didn't have any interest anyway.

Since I quit banking, all my major life decisions, when they could, have revolved around writing.

Sometimes I think, 'Why should I care about doing well in New Zealand?'

I thought I would attend school and get an assistant position and work my way up but being in NY and seeing the pace of everything, is very inspiring.

Looking back I find it hard to believe that I could forge a career in anything other than football but I didn't do too badly in my final exams and there were a few business-related courses that interested me.

I envisioned that as my life: staying in academia to make a living and then taking summers off to write my novels.

I spent most of my life watching HBO series wishing that at some point in my career I might be able to work with them.

The whole goal for me with my career is just follow good projects and good parts and challenge myself as much as I can.

I thought I was going to be a bum the rest of my life.

When people say that college isn't worthwhile and paying all this money isn't worthwhile, I really disagree. I think those experiences and those classes that may not necessarily seem applicable in the moment end up coming back to you time and time again.

My mother told me I should be a secretary, but I wanted to be an actress from when I was very young.

From an early age I was told that I was expected to do more than continue to run a small business. Education was important and seen as a way of moving forward.