Quotessence
Home / Authors / Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith

Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

Actress

Filter quotes by topic

AllPeopleThinkingIfsArtKnowsWayHas BeensIdeasPersonsWorldArtistGivingRealityWantCommunicateCountryDisciplineDoeEnoughJobs

Famous Anna Deavere Smith Quotes

“They say that art should stand the test of time. Life lasts a limited amount of time. Mountains and trees and earth will outlive human beings, but we don't know if they will be here always. Art does outlast the life span of its maker. Art should communicate to an increasing circle of strangers-people who do not know the artist, but come to know the work, and through the work, come to know something about the humanity of the artist that rings with their own humanity.”

PeopleIfsKnowsShouldHumansDoeArtEarthLastsArtistHumanityHuman BeingsTreeAmountMountainTestsCommunicateStrangerRingsCirclesMakersLife SpanTest Of Time
Book:Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts-For Actors, Performers, Writers, and Artists of Every Kind
Create image

“I think we can learn a lot about a person in the very moment that language fails them. In the very moment they they have to be more creative than they would have imagined in order to communicate. It's the very moment that they have to dig deeper than the surface to find words, and at the same time, it's a moment when they want to communicate very badly. They're digging deep and projecting out at the same time.”

ThinkingWantPersonsMomentsOrderLanguageCreativeFailingCommunicateDeeperSurfaceDiggingDigging Deep
Author:Anna Deavere Smith
Create image

“We who are in the arts are at the risk of being in a popularity contest rather than a profession. If that fact causes you despair . . . pick another profession. Your desire to communicate must be bigger than your relationship with the chaotic and unfair realities . . . We have to create our own standards of discipline.”

IfsArtFactsRealityDesireCausesRiskDisciplineDespairStandardsPicksBiggerCommunicateProfessionOur RelationshipPopularityUnfairContestsChaoticPopularity Contest
Author:Anna Deavere Smith
Create image