Gugu Quotes

Don't worry about society's conditioning and the labels that are put on you by external forces. Hold onto your true self.

I try not to define myself. Other people are going to do that for you anyway.

As a biracial girl growing up in England, I'd never really seen any historical characters who looked like me depicted on film before that weren't being brutalized or playing slaves.

I try to define myself through my own choices rather than just accepting society's kind of you're that, you're that, let me put you in a box kind of thing.

I was lucky that my mother had a very well-adjusted perspective of the world, and never pressured me to do anything I didn't want to do.

I think, irrespective of your race, everybody has moments in life where they don't fit in, or where they try to puzzle through who they really are or to find the courage of their convictions.

But when you become a slave to a public persona and don’t feel comfortable without it, it becomes a shield and it shouldn’t come at the expense of your self-worth.

From the age of four, I loved ballet and tap. I was in the school band, the choir, and all my school plays.

Different fragrances promote different emotions, and I find that fragrance gets me in the frame of mind for that person.

I'm a multi-faceted human being.

I think all characters that we play are facets of ourselves.

For me, after emotionally intense roles, I'd need to take a step back because then there's the promoting of the film which is another job in itself.

I think there are parts of myself in every character I play.

I'm just broadening my craft and stretching my skills a little bit in different directions.

I've always had an ear for languages and music so it's something I'm continually working on but it's fun.

The only valid starting point is to understand what we all share - we have to find what we can all agree on.

I'm not turning my back on classical theater. It's all about opportunities and timing a lot of the time when things come up.

To play Cleopatra on Broadway would just be incredible.

There is the old boys' club, but there are ­people who are "conviction lobbyists" coming from the heart.

I try to put myself into whatever character I play.

I'm interested in playing lots of different complex women.

Because I had grown up with Jane Austen novels and period dramas, I was very familiar with that period and that world.

As an actress, I'm an emotional person.

At home I wear my own clothes, no makeup and don't do anything exciting with my hair. I get to borrow pretty dresses for the red carpet, and have experts do my hair and makeup.

I enjoy classics, but classics are classics for a reason.

I prefer to focus on the future. There are a lot of new stories to be heard.

I don't really have one dish. I'm a very improvisational cook. I sort of like to make things up as I go along. I'm quite creative in the kitchen.

For me, it was all about working with an inspirational filmmaker.

I was always the one leading the way in terms of wanting to do acting, singing and dancing.

I always get a little bit scared reading reviews.

Because of my job, my hair gets played with a lot on set, so I try to give it little bit of breathing space when Im not working.

I like being free to take on any project that inspires me and to trust that the work will speak for itself.

I was born in the '80s, so I don't really remember it very strongly, but the music is so iconic.

Gratitude does not mean the absence of solitude, but the presence of a positive attitude in spite of.

Validate yourself and know that you can achieve great things.

Even though death is the worst thing to go through, Heaven is still the best place to go to.

Great leaders think beyond yesterday, deal with the issues of today and focus on addressing the problems of tomorrow.

Every time you shift a blame on what you could have taken responsibility for, you deny yourself an opportunity to learn and grow.

The reason why I smile even in the midst of the storm is because I know that Jesus Christ will carry me through.

Every season has a reason. Summer cannot do the works of winter, nor winter the works of summer. Each season is unique yet so important, so cherish the seasons in your life.

Every person is born for a reason, you really need to know yours.

When I look back to where I come from, I realize it's for a good reason that God changed my life.

When you wake up each morning, remember to live as though it were your last day on earth, because you never know if it's going to be.

You weren't born to be a spectator of others while they live life to the fullest. You too were born to make the world a better place, so put your talents into good use.

We need to consciously remember that we have an unprecedented responsibility to protect the planet, because without it we have nowhere else to live.

If making a difference in someone else’s life makes me sleep every night, then I will do it everyday.

Never commit to what you are not willing to do.

Never attempt to take your own or somebody else's life because someday you will account for that.

The right vision to a wrong person is like the right seed to wrong soil.

I just don't understand why those who fail to listen to others possess a habitual desire to be listened to.