Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

A collection of quotes by Anna Deavere Smith.

Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor renowned for her groundbreaking work in the field of documentary theater. Born on September 18, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland, Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from Beaver College (now Arcadia University) and later received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

Throughout her career, Smith has devised a unique form of theater that merges journalism and performance. She conducts in-depth interviews with various individuals, capturing their stories and experiences, and then embodies them on stage, portraying multiple characters with astonishing precision. Her compelling solo performances deftly explore pressing social and political issues, including race, identity, and inequality.

Known for her deep commitment to social activism, Smith has created several groundbreaking theatrical works, including "Fires in the Mirror" and "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992," which tackle themes of racial tensions and civil unrest. Her performances are characterized by a meticulous attention to detail, as she transforms her voice, body language, and speech patterns to embody diverse individuals from all walks of life.

Besides her theatrical achievements, Smith is also a highly respected professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she has taught courses in acting and playwriting. Her profound impact on American theater and her unparalleled ability to amplify the voices of marginalized communities have firmly established her as a pioneering figure in the world of performance art.

I was a mimic when I was a child. I mimicked the teacher and

I was a mimic when I was a child. I mimicked the teacher and made friends that way, actually. That was a very subversive activity, because I was a goody-goody who never got in trouble. But if I went off in the corner and mimicked the teacher, people loved it.

Anna Deavere Smith


I made a real specific decision when I came out of school an

I made a real specific decision when I came out of school and most artists were writing about home - if you were a woman, you were writing about being a woman - and I decided not to do that, write about what you know. That's not what I do. I went as far away from home as possible in terms of the development of my imagination.

Anna Deavere Smith

Home

When I got out of acting school, I was lucky to have gotten

When I got out of acting school, I was lucky to have gotten any job at all. A lot of people hiring African American actresses - it was right after 'Roots,' and for society, not me, it was great. Nice richly dark-skinned people was the fashion, and I was not.

Anna Deavere Smith

Society

To live your life well, and have respect for what came befor

To live your life well, and have respect for what came before or after - there's a strong respect for that in African culture.

Anna Deavere Smith

Respect

Somehow we can't live outside the politics of race. There's

Somehow we can't live outside the politics of race. There's something very deep in all of us, that is taught to us when we are very, very little. Which is the disrespect and fear of the other.

Anna Deavere Smith

Fear

The American idea is as promising, imaginative, and full of

The American idea is as promising, imaginative, and full of the unexpected as the land itself. The land represents freedom - the frontier, the ability to make a new future with your own bare hands.

Anna Deavere Smith

Freedom

Learning is a tunnel experience that makes us think more bro

Learning is a tunnel experience that makes us think more broadly.

Anna Deavere Smith

Experience

Racism has been for everyone like a horrible, tragic car cra

Racism has been for everyone like a horrible, tragic car crash, and we've all been heavily sedated from it. If we don't come into consciousness of this tragedy, there's going to be a violent awakening we don't want. The question is, can we wake up?

Anna Deavere Smith

Car

My main concern is theater, and theater does not reflect or

My main concern is theater, and theater does not reflect or mirror society. It has been stingy and selfish, and it has to do better.

Anna Deavere Smith

Society

I think it's really important to give yourself a very big qu

I think it's really important to give yourself a very big question that you're working on that you can come home to, even if you, you know, are going to have to go without a cup of coffee or even a meal, that that should nourish you.

Anna Deavere Smith

Home

President Obama called for a 'we' nation in his Inauguration

President Obama called for a 'we' nation in his Inauguration Address. Art convenes. It is not just inspirational. It is aspirational. It pricks the walls of our compartmentalized minds, opens our hearts and makes us brave. And that's what we need most in our country today.

Anna Deavere Smith

Inspirational

Movies, as evidenced by a chorus of protesting and celebrati

Movies, as evidenced by a chorus of protesting and celebrating Americans, influence broader trends.

Anna Deavere Smith

Movies

Friendship is a wildly underrated medication.

Friendship is a wildly underrated medication.

Anna Deavere Smith

Friendship

I think we need leadership that helps us remember that part

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

Leadership

People who are sick, or who have been sick, or have come clo

People who are sick, or who have been sick, or have come close to death have a lot to say - and they want you to hear it.

Anna Deavere Smith

Death

I feel like my work has been my path to freedom from having

I feel like my work has been my path to freedom from having grown up in a segregated environment.

Anna Deavere Smith

Freedom