162 Quotes by Tracee Ellis Ross

Politics is tricky for me. For most of my life, I didn't think it applied to me.

Everyone's always like, 'Be your best self!' And that drives me bananas, because when you're not, it makes you feel really bad.

My goal is to make space for my selfhood. All of it. All of me, not just the parts I like or think that others like but all of it.

We live in a culture where people are constantly telling us how to get what we want, and within that message is, 'You need to be something other than you are.'

Career-wise, there are so many things where you don't get what you think you want. I've had to make space for, 'Do I let that debilitate me and make me feel bad about myself? And make me feel like I need to change myself in some way?' Because I think changing myself is very different from growing and learning.

I don't want to feel shamed into making a choice about my physical appearance or my body... or even about the choices I make about my life. I want to be feel empowered and inspired because they feel good to me.

Using my voice to recognize and celebrate other women is a joy for me.

I was watching the Nina Simone documentary alone in my room, and I said out loud to myself, 'Why do we not know that this woman is beauty? She is beauty! Why did no one tell me this growing up? Why was her name not next to 'beauty' in the dictionary?'

Lily Tomlin was one of the early comedy greats who influenced my courage to be the person I am.