Quotes by Octavia Spencer

You cannot live to please everyone else. You have to edify, educate and fulfill your own dreams and destiny, and hope that whatever your art is that youre putting out there, if its received, great, I respect you for receiving it. If its not received, great, I respect you for not.

I was always a closet lover of acting. My mom was very practical. She never, ever restricted our dreams, always told us we could do or be anything. Then I said, Maybe I want to be an actor. And she said, Maybe not that.

I have tried every diet to lose weight. When you restrict yourself, youre setting yourself up for failure.

You just keep moving forward and doing what you do and hope that it resonates with people. And if it doesnt, you just keep moving on until you find a project that does.

I think that young women and little girls need to see that they dont have to be the damsel in distress. They dont have to not show their strength. They dont have to be whatever the stereotype is or the tropes that we go to in our minds.

If you come out of the gate with a finger pointed, then you really arent opening the door to any sort of resolution to whatever the problem may be. Whether its about race or sexual orientation or religion, if you cant empathize with the opposing party, then you cant really meet in the middle.

If a little black girl in Montgomery, Alabama, or some far-reaching region sees something that I do and aspires to do it one day with the knowledge that she can achieve it, then hey, my work is done.

Its been pretty effortless with Sensa because I am not thinking about how long do I need to do this. Usually, when you stop a diet program, you lose control again. But I dont need to stop what Im doing. Im eating everything that I like. Sensa just helps me keep it all in check.

If you go through life, and you dont find the beauty in an unexpected place, then you really have a sad existence.

It may sound funny, but its true: I tried to put myself through the 12-step program. I didnt want to attend a real meeting; my role didnt really require that, and I feel those meetings are sort of sacred, and theyre anonymous for a reason. I tried to deal with some of my love of snacks - and I relapsed a lot.

There is so much art can do to enlighten people, no matter what their views might be. If art cant go there or doesnt elevate the social consciousness in some way, then we are in peril.

My mom always told me I could do or be anything I dared to dream, and I always wanted to work in the movie industry.

The way to bring about change is to be proactive and active.