Lynn Nottage Quotes

We accept the world in order to change it. If you do not accept, then what are you going to change?

I've had some interesting roles along the way, but they tend to be cause-driven. They're always about something. There isn't time for character work as an actor because you're fighting the cause or mourning the child or fighting the disease, etc.

I've been a critic of the antiglobalization movement, and they've been a critic of me, but the one thing I respect about the movement is their authentic energy. These are not people who don't care about the world.

I'm from a very politically and socially conscious family. My mother always made a point of making us look at what was going on around us and take stock of our part in it.

When enough people care about autism or diabetes or global warming, it helps everyone, even if only a tiny fraction actively participate.

Ben Affleck exec-produced a documentary for HBO called 'Reporter' about my 2007 win-a-trip journey. I take the trip each year partly to encourage young people to think about global humanitarian issues: I think blogs by a student may be more compelling for that audience than my own work.

With documentary-film projects, you hope you highlight an area of concern people haven't thought about before. A lot of times, I'm asking myself - 'This seems to be a significant problem. What can be done that hasn't been done?'

I think I've done a good job of trying to figure out ways to continue to use my voice and platform for the right things.

As big a deal as the Super Bowl is, it's not the most important thing going on in the planet.

I don't see myself as an activist. I understand that people, with me doing 'Satyameva Jayate,' for example, they will feel that I'm being an activist, but I'm not. Actually, I'm not, because I think an activist, as I see it, as a person who is very, very - takes up one issue and remains with that one issue for his entire life. I'm not doing that.

I always say, as an actress, I get to portray the human condition, but as an activist, I get to change the human condition.

While it can be overwhelming to realize how many problems there are to solve in the world, it's always inspiring to see so many talented people willing to spend their time and energy in hopes of making a difference.

We should be aware and constantly having conversations about the world because that's how you change it from the bigger standpoint rather than acutely trying to change things.

I was very engaged in my communities throughout college, but I never thought of it as political.

I need to get a tiny bit more 'woke.'

I think that a lot of times we get wrapped up in just our career - we play ball, we make good money. As a kid you probably grew up a Lakers fan, a Clippers fan or whatever it is because sports is just a thing when you're a child. But, when you really look at the overall picture, we have a platform and a voice.

When we go and play live... we go and we work with like different organizations: the food banks, homeless shelters, children's hospitals or different homes that are reaching out to people. And just to actually go and say, 'Hey, don't just hear me play, come to my concert, that's it, hope you have a good night.' It's like, 'Hey, come be a part.'

I mean I do believe there is a responsibility of the entertainment industry in general with everything that is happening with the world, with violence and with climate change and with the stereotypes with Latinos or any community.

There was just this stage where I realised that people were listening to what I was saying and I could actually say something I believe in and, like... why wasn't I doing that? It's not because I think I have a responsibility as a pop star or whatever; it's because I think I have a responsibility as a human being.

To see that I have this huge platform now, and so many people are listening to what I have to say, it really makes me want to orientate toward something that would really educate people, create awareness, do something more than just show them a cute outfit or what I'm having for lunch.

We're a positive type group, not a preachy group, but we want to be able to let the people know that we are conscious about what's going on in the world.

I have a lot of shame, and until I got sober at 42 years of age, I had never voted. I was just a hippie.

I'm not one to go down that road to say I have some kind of social consciousness.

I don't believe in hopping from one social issue to the next to be a part of the movement for a moment. Anything I'm involved in is something that I would die for. I can't support things that don't feel genuine.

You know, I think becoming a parent has really changed the way that I feel impacted by what's going on in the world around me.