Mae Jemison Quotes

Representation is so important because it's hard for kids to want to be what they can't see. Little girls and boys need to know that it's natural for girls to love science and tech.

I would definitely want kids. Would they be dancers? I dunno. That's up to them. If they show interest, I will push them do the best. I was not brought up in a dancer's family. I was brought up in a family where the mentality was whatever you do, you gotta try to be the best at it.

Both my parents were very supportive of me in whatever I wanted to do.

I had a fifth grade teacher who, as a very small way of trying to contain my class clown energy, gave me 10 minutes at the end of class every Friday to present whatever I wanted. A lot of the time, I did an Andy Rooney impression. I would sit at her desk, empty it, and just comment on what was in there.

I grew up in a good family with good parents, and I was able to dream big and have the support to live it out.

When you're young and starting out, the big hurdle is to relax enough in rehearsal so that you don't feel intimidated. The more work you've done, the more you can experiment in rehearsal and not have to worry about getting the sack.

My husband and I believe that if you treat a child well and nurture his talent and physical ability, in a healthy environment, the child will succeed no matter what.

I want a certain thing for my children. I just want to be in their life. I don't want nannies raising my kids.

My parents always knew I was hopeless at everything else, I was fortunate in that I was backed all the way. I came to it late and only because I thought there'd be loads of women and drinking!

I've got three daughters and I'm going to stand up for them and support them in whatever they want to do.

I think the world offers so many wonderful varieties of obstacles, but that shouldn't be one for kids - is the worry that 'my parents wont be there.'

Parents are the designated caregivers and are best suited for being able to raise children.

But there's no substitute for a full-time dad. Dads who are fully engaged with their kids overwhelmingly tend to produce children who believe in themselves and live full lives.

For whatever reason, I didn't succumb to the stereotype that science wasn't for girls. I got encouragement from my parents. I never ran into a teacher or a counselor who told me that science was for boys. A lot of my friends did.

Science is cool! But it's easy for that to get lost in textbooks sometimes.

My mom and dad gave their kids the greatest gift of all - the gift of unconditional love. They cared deeply about who we would be, and much less about what we would do.

I had great schooling, and my parents were always in front of me, or next to me, or behind me, making sure I had whatever I needed.

I grew up in a house where my father encouraged my brother and me to fail. I specifically remember coming home and saying, 'Dad, Dad, I tried out for this or that and I was horrible,' and he would high-five me and say, 'Way to go.'

And part of that is, what is the point of having children if you don't have the privilege of bringing them up?

I was 22 and stopped writing plays, and I didn't start again until I was 25. I was writing badly. In college, I attempted to write these more conventional plays, but the theater I loved was downtown experimental theater. I didn't feel like I could do that either. It didn't occur to me to do my own thing.

Some people are just self-motivated - my husband was. I also believe there are many children for whom parental involvement is key.

My mother totally protected me as a model. She took me on every look-see, she was there on the set if I wanted her to be.

It's one thing to support your kid, but if you have an interest in what your child is doing, it makes it a whole lot easier.

I am just so thankful that my mom was a fantastic mom. She wasn't a stage mother; she didn't push me. She was happy if I was happy. We are so different. I was very shy; my mom did all the talking. She was my strength. She never expected that I would be this ballerina.

When Kate was born, she was born into a world of joy and happiness and confidence. The difference between the children is night and day. She's happy, she's thriving, she's full of self-confidence. I tell her she's beautiful every day before I send her off to school.