74 Quotes by Angela Bassett

Memories are meant to fade, Lenny. They’re designed that way for a reason.

I am content that the work that I’ve done is wonderful.

Maybe if you’re younger you have more energy – but that’s a big maybe. Because at this stage of life, I have more patience, understanding, wisdom, resources – and a husband. I didn’t get him until I was 39. But I got a good one.

My mom was always pretty supportive. She saw me do plays and she’d always act out the parts I did. My aunt, who played a big part in my life, was a little bit more reserved, because if they don’t see you on TV every week they think you must be starving.

I can give you the King’s English and then I can take it to the street, but do both or do one and don’t do one knowing only the street. That’s going to hold you back because what comes out is going to impress people, and it will impress them negatively.

I deal in a very artistic way of what interests me and marks my passion, and I try to – whether its good or not – am in love with acting and the stage and characters and the ability to reach and to touch people, so that’s where, I guess, that’s where my heart will reside, by and large.

The three things I said when I came out of school were I want to work consistently, I want to do good work and I want to be paid fairly, and that’s happened. But I didn’t become an actress for the money. I do it for other reasons.

Of course you want to do all the research that you can, but it’s impossible to take a life and the boundaries of an hour and a half, so there is hope there will be understanding about that also.

It’s more than just saying lines and turning the light on. You have to drive the story – there’s a technical aspect.