Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.

I'm doing my best to be mindful about how I'm living: to be kind and patient, and not to impose a bad mood on somebody else. Being mindful is as good a way to be spiritual as anything else.

I could be less impatient with people. I sometimes judge by impressions.

When I was young I used to listen to other people and to try and understand what they thought and where they were coming from. I listened and didn't speak.

It's often difficult to get perspective on your own stories, on your own experiences, without talking them through with someone who is genuinely interested in thinking about them. And that's the key.

In the past, I used to argue with those who didn't share my views. I felt this incredible need to 'make my point.' Now I live my life and do my best to be an example of what seems right to me.

It's important to determine not just the quality of your mind but the fullness of your heart.

Being unbiased is a lot like being humble: as soon as you think you are, you aren’t. Neither are a finite state of being but a continuous struggle to not allow our perspectives poison our opinions.

We are all hypocrites but introspective people use this insight to moderate their self-righteousness. There’s an inverse relationship between introspection and intolerance.

Any time you start judging with an overly critical eye rather than letting things just be, and following what you think is right, it's complicated to find balance.

I'm interested in listening to the people who walk in the door. If your ego and your accomplishments stop you from listening, then they've taught you nothing.

When I was at school, one of my teachers had two statements hanging from the board all year: 'Be observant' and 'Be empathetic.'

Listening is where love begins: listening to ourselves and then to our neighbors.

Always keep your ego in check and not be afraid to listen. Listening is a great art form.

In some way, people believe that if you are permeable, if you are a good listener, you don't have the quality of somebody with a firm attitude. This is what, fundamentally, I got from my mother.

Learning is a result of listening, which in turn leads to even better listening and attentiveness to the other person. In other words, to learn from the child, we must have empathy, and empathy grows as we learn.

If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect.

Humility is always a good thing. It's always a good thing to be humbled by circumstances so you can then come from a sincere place to try to deal with them.

You have to do a lot of listening, you don't just learn out of yourself.

I guess the verdict is in - I am not a sociopath. It's not effective or productive not to be nice. It would undermine the goals I want to achieve on any given day.

There's nothing wrong or evil about having a bad day. There's everything wrong with making others have to have it... with you.

As soon as you think you know someone else's truth better than they do, you are in deep water.

One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.

Listen more than you talk.

I do get angry some time, but if I let that feeling take over it would only cloud my thinking and disable me from making the right decision when it counts the most. I just try to think about my mother, children, God, and of course my freedom.