Explore Quotes by Octavia Spencer

Being a part of a large family is just like a little society: those who fight to the top of the heap. We relied on each other and still do. They never discouraged me or told me to get a proper job.

My idea of success is not Oscars. Am I glad I have that little trinket? Yes, I am. But it depends on how you define success. The minute I got my first professional cheque from Joel Schumacher, I was successful. Somebody's paying me to act!

My life is exactly the way it needs to be.

I'm dyslexic, and it takes me longer to memorize and to embody the character so I can really own it.

Tough love is the hardest to give.

I probably wanted to be Pam Grier growing up.

It may sound funny, but it's true: I tried to put myself through the 12-step program. I didn't want to attend a real meeting; my role didn't really require that, and I feel those meetings are sort of sacred, and they're anonymous for a reason. I tried to deal with some of my love of snacks - and I relapsed a lot.

I literally don't think about Oscar.

I like to read, even though it was really tough, because I could go anywhere in the world in a book, and I could have so many adventures in a book.

When we don't have all the details about our characters, we have to make it up to fill in all the details. So, for me, writing and acting go hand in hand.

I am not maternal at all. I don't have any kids.

I'm reading today because of 'Encyclopedia Brown.'

I should be married and have 19 kids. And now I'm thinking my eggs are dying on the shelf. They're going to go past their expiration date. But it's what I chose, so I'm fine with that decision.

As a kid, I was always very thin, and I kind of didn't know that I was skinny.

The mentality of how we treat one another needs to be examined - especially how we treat our men of color.

My weight has always been a struggle for me.

Do I feel that white directors have to tell only white stories? No. Do I feel that black filmmakers should only tell stories about black people? No. If we say that, then that means Asian people cannot write about anybody but Asians. I don't think a woman should only write about women.

People want to see more diversity. That's why you have the Kevin Hart making $17 million dollars on a holiday weekend.

Yes, you want to do studio movies, but I also want to grow as an actor, and an actress like me is not going to get roles where you grow and evolve in a studio film. It's just not gonna happen.

I'm definitely neurotic. I don't cross streets and stuff.

The statement that I made and that I think I will continue to make is that racism and bigotry isn't just relegated to the Southern region; it permeates the history of our nation. It's not to say that we haven't made progress. Obviously we have with our first African American president, and I never thought that would happen in my lifetime.