Cicely Tyson Quotes on Life, Acting and More

Cicely Tyson Quotes on Life, Acting and More Cicely Tyson, a stage and film actress, is known for roles in such projects as  Roots,  The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,  Sounder  (which won her an Oscar nomination),  Fried Green Tomatoes,  The Help,  King  (in which she played Coretta Scott King),  A Woman Called Moses  (where she played Harriet Tubman),  The Marva Collins Story,  The Women of Brewster Place  and more. Selected Quotes from Cicely Tyson Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. Theyre what make the instrument stretch - what make you go beyond the norm.It is so very difficult for me to say which of the roles Ive done is my favorite. Its like asking me which of three best friends is my favorite. I feel very close to each of these women because each afforded me an experience that allowed me tremendous growth.In my early years, there were a number of experiences that made me decide I could not afford the luxury of just being an actress. There were a number of issues I wanted to address. And I wanted to use my career as a platform.I am not a quitter. I will fight until I drop. It is just a matter of having some faith in the fact that as long as you are able to draw breath in the universe, you have a chance.When I attack a role, be it TV, film or stage,  the first thing I say is, I dont want to know anything.  If its good I dont want to hear it;  if its bad I dont want to hear it .  The only thing either thing can do is distract me.  I like to stay focused. I think when you begin to think of yourself as having achieved something, then theres nothing left for you to work towards. I want to believe that there is a mountain so high that I will spend my entire life striving to reach the top of it.You never know what motivates you.In my work, people say Im strong. But Im not aware of any of it. If I were conscious of it, that can only get in the way of future performances.I think when you begin to think of yourself as  having achieved something,  then theres nothing left for you to work towards.  I want to believe that there is a mountain so high  that I will spend my entire life striving to reach the top of it.One lady told me that before she saw Sounder she didnt believe black people could love each other, have deep relationships in the same way as white people.I was in California when this journalist made a blanket  statement about the fact that she did not think that  black men and women had the kind of love relationship  t hat Rebecca and Nathan had in Sounder. Ive never encouraged  anyone  to go into this business. But I would never  discourage   anybody  either, because no one could discourage me.I dont condemn anyone for making their choices. If someone chooses those roles, fine.But not for me.  When someone stops me and says, Youre the reason I became an actress,  that lets me know I made the right decision.When I told my mother that I wanted to be an actress, she said, you cant live here and do that, and so I moved out. I was determined to prove her wrong because she was so sure that I was going to go astray. And thats the juice that kept me going.We have to support our own films.  If we dont, how can we expect others to support them? More Quotes by Notable Women: All  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z Explore Womens Voices and Womens History Womens Voices  - About Womens QuotesBiographiesToday in Womens History About These Quotes Quote collection  assembled by  Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection  © Jone Johnson Lewis. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not be able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote. Citation information (example):Jone Johnson Lewis. Dorothy Height Quotes. About Womens History. URL: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/dorothy_height.htm . Date accessed: (today).  (More on how to cite online sources including this page)