I think there's something really thrilling to having to get people laughing about something and then when you have them in that comfort space, you can drop the weight into the texture of the story.

I'm realizing, you don't need to change anything about yourself. This is who you are, and it's okay. That's daring.

If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.

Ive heard of nothing coming from nothing, but Ive never heard of absolutely nothing coming from hard work.

It's exciting to watch people do and write and say what they feel like doing, writing and saying.

My only want and wish, really, was to tell a good story. I wanted to do good work, tell a good story, and give the character a voice. Those were my only expectations.

I kept hiding my smile in pictures throughout middle school and most of high school until picture day came my senior year.

Faith is a big thing we explore.

I love De la Renta. I love CoSTUME National; I think they're just incredible. And I love Marc Jacobs, too - they're also great, just a great brand.

In performance, you dont always feel that sort of family bond right off the top. It sort of develops and grows over time.

I loved Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi. Its about a first-generation African family living in America that has to return home to Nigeria when their estranged father passes away.

If we want our generation to function as watchdogs, we should teach the lions to stop acting as supreme and give all kinds of creatures a a fair share of food and resources.

People don't really change, they just adapt to circumstances.

Don't talk, just listen, and feel with all your heart.

Gratitude is a way of life. Gratitude is the way home.

The language denotes the man. A coarse or refined character finds its expression naturally in a coarse or refined phraseology.

Perhaps it is because Venice is both liquid and solid, both air and stone, that it somehow combines all the elements crucial to make our imaginations ignite and turn fantasies into realities.

There are so many startups out there raising money. I don't think this is a bad thing. It's a good thing. Entrepreneurship is in vogue. Innovators are innovating. Makers are making.

I think we should want all of our cities to become more compassionate places, frankly.

I'm the worst surfer in California. My balance is off from boxing.

To learn to play seriously is one of the great secrets of spiritual exploration.