Shelby Steele Quotes

No life is perfect; we all have our problems and issues, and I believe that it's good to be true to who you are.

I don't think perfect is interesting. I think what makes life exciting is the imperfections.

For me my work is always being compared to my heritage. It has been quite a challenge unto itself just to drop into my voice and develop my individuated sound.

Originality is only variation.

Whatever an education is, it should make you a unique individual, not a conformist; it should furnish you with an original spirit with which to tackle the big challenges. It should allow you to find values which will be your road map through life; it should make you spiritually rich, a person who loves whatever you are doing, wherever you are, whomever you are with; it should teach you what is important, how to live and how to die.

The fact is ones own voice is not heard anywhere else. Its a challenge to be yourself. It takes a lot of courage.

Life is full of challenges. How you handle these challenges is what builds character. Never be afraid to be who you are.

The real challenge is not simply to survive. Hell, anyone can do that. It’s to survive as yourself, undiminished.

It wasn't about how she looked, which was pretty, even though she was always wearing the wrong clothes and those beat-up sneakers. It wasn't about what she said in class--usually something no one else would've thought of, and if they had, something they wouldn't have dared to say. It wasn't that she was different from all the other girls at Jackson. That was obvious. It was that she made me realize how much I was just like the rest of them, even if I wanted to pretend I wasn't.

We've all got to earn a living. And writing songs is what I do. But when I've done a record, it's not that I think it's better or worse than anyone else's, but if I think that nobody else would have done it if I hadn't, well then that's ok.

A lot of what we say and do are regurgitated things that have to do with what we think we're supposed to be saying and doing.

We're born naked, and the rest is drag.

But true individuality is more about being in tune with who you truly are, whether you're expressing yourself physically, mentally, or spiritually; individuality arises from living without fear of what other might think or say about you and without being swayed by their opinions, leaving you free to lead life without caring about judgments made by the outside world.

I do my own thing. I'm very much in the paradox of things. I enjoy the little things in life, what's big is small and what's small is big. It might not be the coolest thing to do, but it's important to me.

I am what I am Are you what you are or What?

I don't see the point of pretending we're clones.

I don’t follow fashion and I don’t follow trends, I just follow my instincts...

The most interesting hipsters are ones who stop being hipsters.

I have my own style that happens to be different from everyone else in Hollywood. My inspiration is me.

Dare to be strong and courageous. That is the road. Venture anything. Be brave enough to dare to be loved. Be something more than man or woman. Be Tandy.

Before you do anything, whatever it is, figure out who you are first.

People will want you to behave a certain way, to make a certain choice because it reinforces the way they see the world...But you have to do what's right for you.

No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself.

I always try to honor a character by being honest and truthful to who they are, in spite of my own personality and beliefs.