Zadie Smith Quotes

I guess I feel it's funny to be looked to for advice on writing when I am still taking in so much from other people.

I always learn something from every actor I've ever worked with. I always pick something from them.

A good leader is one who can tell another how to reach his or her potential; a great leader is one who can help another discover this potential for him or herself.

Back when I taught middle school and wrote adult mysteries, my students often asked me why I wasn't writing for kids. I never had a good answer for them. It took me a long time to realize they were right.

As I have encountered difficult moments in my own life, I have been privileged to learn from the great men I have come to know as a writer.

As a director, I really wanted to learn and I needed to get away from my own stuff to figure out how to just do things and work with good people.

I've certainly learned a great deal from my husband, though, and could never have written a book like Liquor without him and the people he introduces me to and the stories he brings home.

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.

Giving back, doing motivational speeches and stuff like that, that's always made me feel good. If you repeatedly go out there, and you are the change that you want to see, then that's what you are.

I'm such a coward that unless I get a good writer, I don't want to make a picture.

I'm excited and terrified to write something new. I won't be writing about suburbia.

I tend to choose collaborators who are more courageous than I am. I think it's good for me.

No matter how good you think you are as a leader, my goodness, the people around you will have all kinds of ideas for how you can get better. So for me, the most fundamental thing about leadership is to have the humility to continue to get feedback and to try to get better - because your job is to try to help everybody else get better.

I think it's a great document of John Stevens' originality. At that time he was already much more fully formed in his conception than I was. I was sort of struggling to keep up, and sometimes it's pretty obvious.

Have the humility to learn from those around you.

There was a moment when I was watching Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in 'Badboys' that I felt, you know, inspired. I don't know if I was proud, because so many people do the work. Everyone's part of a team that develops over the years and gives people chances. There have been some good moments watching people develop.

A creative writing program is only as good as its teachers, and I was fortunate in having two great writers as mentors.

I surround myself by people smarter than me.

I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who I can learn from, and it makes me up my game.

I am only in competition with the people who taught me cinema. I am not in competition with anyone in the industry.

I'm honestly just trying to surround myself with talented people that I look up to/feel like I can learn from.

I always wanted to write. But honestly I'm glad I didn't do it back when I was twenty-five or so, when it's now clear to me that I was a very poor writer and could've ruined my career before it even started.

When you're surrounded by brilliant actors, and teachers who challenge you to go beyond what you thought you were capable of, that's got to be good for you.

For the first three years, when I was writing, I was doing sessions with a whole bunch of different people all the time every day until I met Lindy Robbins, who kind of mentored me. And then, once you find that, all the pieces come together.

Everything is a learning lesson, good and bad, so I am happy with the way things are, and I learned from everything negative. I am in a great space now, so I wouldn't change a thing!