Self-esteem does not come from surrounding yourself with people and things that seem to increase your value. Real self-esteem is an integration of an inner-value with things in the world around you. Anna Deavere Smith More Quotes by Anna Deavere Smith More Quotes From Anna Deavere Smith My job in my work is not to acquire power; it's to question power. Anna Deavere Smith acquire power jobs For me, first of all, I love people, I love ideas. Anna Deavere Smith people ideas firsts I call the language of political figures, pundits and administrators "the haute couture of language." Anna Deavere Smith haute-couture political language People realize that we're very good at sending people to war, but we're not good at taking care of them. And people are coming back from war now; years ago, they would have been killed, now they're wounded; and they're coming back alive and with post-traumatic stress. So, I think Americans are sensible enough to know we've got to figure out a way to take care of them. Anna Deavere Smith stress war thinking I think we need leadership that helps us remember that part of what we are about is caring about more than the person right next to us, but the folks across the way. Anna Deavere Smith caring needs thinking If you say a word often enough it becomes you. Anna Deavere Smith ifs enough I think as a kid I always liked to listen to people. I loved hearing stories. Anna Deavere Smith kids people thinking You know if we were to look back and how we were in 1955 living in Jim Crow, living in segregation, living in segregated schools, it's hard to believe that it was America, but it really was. Anna Deavere Smith jim-crow-laws believe school Art should take what is complex and render it simply. It takes a lot of skill, human understanding, stamina, courage, energy, and heart to do that. Anna Deavere Smith simplicity skills art Do you want to be an artist so that the whole world will look at you, or do you want to be an artist because you would like to use your ability to attract attention, to have the world see itself through you differently? Anna Deavere Smith artist attention looks In my profession, I'm around a lot of people whose bodies are their instruments in one way or another. Anna Deavere Smith body people way I don't talk a lot when I interview. My job is to get out of the way. Anna Deavere Smith interviews jobs way Identity is an assemblage of constellations. Anna Deavere Smith assemblage individuality identity People in power have to be careful about what comes out of their mouth. They have to find exactly the right word that can't be attacked. Anna Deavere Smith leadership mouths people Suddenly in high school, I'm in a predominantly Jewish atmosphere. Jewish people were my gate to white America. Anna Deavere Smith white america school Many people are afraid to talk about race because it's so emotionally loaded. We don't have the vocabulary to talk about it. Every day, our vocabulary seems more and more inadequate. Anna Deavere Smith vocabulary race people You know, real artists, we expose our flaws. We long for intimacy. Anna Deavere Smith artist real long Probably the person who said the only color in Los Angeles is green was right. Anna Deavere Smith los-angeles green color Confidence is the mark of a hopeful disposition. Anna Deavere Smith disposition hopeful confidence Each person has a literature inside them. But when people lose language, when they have to experiment with putting their thoughts together on the spot-that's what I love most. That's where character lives. Anna Deavere Smith decision character people
