Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

Others may question your credentials, your papers, your degrees. Others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. But what is inside you no one can take from you or tarnish. This is your worth, who you really are, your degree that can go with you wherever you go, that you bring with you the moment you come into a room, that can't be manipulated or shaken. Without that sense of self, no amount of paper, no pedigree, and no credentials can make you legit. No matter what, you have to feel legit inside first.

It doesn't matter if you are model or not; confidence is something that comes from inside.

Your worth consists in what you are and not in what you have.

You are always a valuable, worthwhile human being - not because anybody says so, not because you're successful, not because you make a lot of money - but because you decide to believe it and for no other reason.

I've been in situations where I've said to young people: "You're so personable, you're so articulate, you're clearly so bright, you're so good-looking - feel better about yourself!" But if at the core if you don't, all those words mean nothing. Absolutely nothing.

A self-esteem issue doesn't change whether you're considered beautiful or not because it's about what's inside you.

The clothes are not making me... If I like it, that's all that matters...It's not about the clothes. It's about how I am as a person and how confident I am.

It is important to find worth in yourself.

I don't think I'm ugly, but I never thought I was that special.

Standards are a little crazy these days. I think that, when you go to sleep, as long as you're happy with the way you are and the way you look, that's the most important thing. I think it's an internal thing. As long as you feel good with who you are and comfortable with what you're wearing, but not if that's the most important thing.

Do I really need to prove anything to anybody? I don't feel that I have to prove anything. The only thing that I have to prove is to myself, that I have value.

Well, we all know that self-esteem comes from what you think of you, not what other people think of you.

No one can figure out your worth but you.

I really don't mind what people assume about me. I really think that my brain is my private thing. I don't need the approval of people. I don't need people to think I'm intelligent. And I'm not that intelligent.

When people have an inner sense of confidence, they're more beautiful.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

I feel very confident with the way I look. But I felt just as confident the way I looked before. I've always been confident with who I am.

And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning.

A man is always better than he thinks.

You are an extremely valuable, worthwhile, significant person even though your present circumstances may have you feeling otherwise.

You have this life in this body, and it's really fragile. But what you have inside is what you have to offer, and it's just as important as anyone else's.

It's pretty easy to get sucked into a vortex of others and what their thoughts are and letting other people's judgments of you make you actually believe them about yourself. And sometimes you just need people to remind you that none of it means anything.

I've changed. I'm not worried about what people think, because I think people think what they want to think anyway.

I never had confidence - never. The hardest thing to know is your own worth, and it took me years and years to find out what mine is.

The only place you can really find the confidence and the love for yourself is within you, so that has to be what carries you: not all of these external things.