Top 100 Jill Scott Quotes
#1. I always wanted to be a renaissance woman, do as many things as I possibly can and hopefully do them well or don't do them at all.
Jill Scott
#2. You owe it to yourself to live beautifully. And I am.
Jill Scott
#3. The highs, the lows, the peaks, the valleys, whatever, it's all going to go into the art, whether I'm singing or acting or whatever.
Jill Scott
#4. I've been around the world and I've had bras made in different places, and each time I'm experiencing the same troubles: the painful shoulders, the underwire cutting into my flesh.
Jill Scott
#5. I'd been told that when you first put your feet on African ground, you'll be hit by a feeling of overwhelming understanding, like you've returned home and suddenly belong. Quite frankly, I didn't feel that.
Jill Scott
#6. When I auditioned with Anthony Minghella (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency), I loved the audition process, although I hated him for it. Because he had me audition six times for that role. Maybe three hours each. He wanted to see how quickly I could vary.
Jill Scott
#7. Nikki Giovanni! I got a book of hers from the library, and there was this woman who could paint me on paper with words - my whole little experience. I thought it was wonderful.
Jill Scott
#8. When Jett puts my face in his hands and tells me, 'Mommy you're so pretty' or smells me, it's so wonderful.
Jill Scott
#9. People think that lemon is good for the voice, but it dries it out.
Jill Scott
#10. I've been reading poetry publicly for 20 years, and this is what you do - you express, you sometimes dig a bit to get a conversation started. That's the point of poetry. You're supposed to go, 'Hmmmm,' and 'Woooh!'
Jill Scott
#11. All man-made religions are limited. I go my own way.
Jill Scott
#12. 'Saturday Night Live' is a show that I think I could have a lot of fun on, just being different characters and maybe singing, too.
Jill Scott
#13. Seriously, in America there are more big, curvy girls than there are little girls, and men love us, too.
Jill Scott
#14. Lately I've been going to all these high schools talking to the students, answering their questions, listening to what they have to say. It has been an incredible journey to be around them and try to give them what my mother gave me.
Jill Scott
#15. A nutritionist has told me to have very little butter and very little spices, but I can't live like that.
Jill Scott
#16. I'm a secret interior decorator. There's a mural on my dining room wall of the railroad tracks at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I love having my hometown with me out here in California.
Jill Scott
#17. I've done a lot of fighting in my time, and I'm down to do some more. I don't want to, but you know, there's just certain things that you can't sit down and take.
Jill Scott
#18. I truly have a village supporting me. My son has godmothers, godfathers, grandparents and so many others in his life who love him as much as I do. They're there for both of us. I may not have a mate or husband, but I'm definitely not a single parent.
Jill Scott
#19. All I have to do is be me on stage. But acting, I have to be someone else, and walk how they would walk and blink how they would blink. I used to talk about it bad like, 'Aw man, that person made $10 million a movie?' But now I understand why they do. I get it now.
Jill Scott
#20. If a woman is happy, then your society is happy.
Jill Scott
#21. Find new treasures in yourself. Love doesn't die. Love is unyielding. It's going to come back. The more you love and appreciate yourself, the more prepared you are when the real thing shows up.
Jill Scott
#22. I'm the girl that waits for the director to say, 'I like that,' or 'Can you boost it up?,' or 'Can you pull it down?' I'm that kind of actor. I started in theater, so that's the feedback that I'm accustomed to. It's the feedback that I really thrive off of.
Jill Scott
#23. I'm excited about turning 40. I've been an adult for a long time, but there is a difference between being an adult and being a grown-up. I'm someone's mummy now and I'm enjoying that. I feel as if I'm about to hit my peak.
Jill Scott
#24. My stepfather was a very nasty individual.
Jill Scott
#25. I think all any artist or person wants to do is grow spiritually, emotionally, professionally and mentally.
Jill Scott
#26. Anytime you share life stories with other people, you know, you are acknowledging their humanity and kind of accessing some things about yourself, and other people start to expect things about themselves. It's kind of like a fellowship.
Jill Scott
#27. My intention is to make music that you can enjoy at all times.
Jill Scott
#28. I'm not interested in being commodified. I'm not into being sold. I'm not a slave.
Jill Scott
#29. My earliest influence was Quincy Jones. I thought 'The Wiz' soundtrack was the most amazing thing I'd ever heard. It was my first record and you had Michael Jackson, Ted Ross, Nipsey Russell and Diana Ross on it. I even took it to show and tell in third grade!
Jill Scott
#30. I'm sorry that 'Fringe' is gone. I really wanted to do more on that show. It was great!
Jill Scott
#31. When you get a jean for a larger girl, you have to have them tailored for you. Tailoring is indeed everything.
Jill Scott
#32. I don't rhyme right now, but I may ten years from now.
Jill Scott
#33. Sometimes I felt as a writer I was purging, and it almost hurt to purge to that level. Now it doesn't feel that way, maybe because I'm older. Maybe life has given me some punches, but it didn't knock me down.
Jill Scott
#34. I was conceived after doctors told my mother she'd never have children. I'm a miracle - we all are.
Jill Scott
#35. When I get onstage, I automatically feel beautiful.
Jill Scott
#36. When I write a song, I tap into the emotion and the feeling and then I use the emotion to write the words. It's the opposite when I act. I use the words and tap into the emotion.
Jill Scott
#37. I'm going to keep it real gully with you; the first two months, I wanted to give him back. I expected someone to come and save me because after you have the baby, nobody cares about you anymore. Nobody cares if you sleep, nobody cares if you eat. It's just you and this all-consuming thingy!
Jill Scott
#38. I think, as an artist, you have to have experienced some deep turmoil, some kind of pain, because that's what connects you with the world. That's what makes it juicy!
Jill Scott
#39. If you can't help me grow, there's no point with you being in my life.
Jill Scott
#40. Beauty is an understanding of what you have, and it's forgiving yourself of what you don't have, and appreciating all of it.
Jill Scott
#41. Balancing is hard. I've lost roles that I really wanted because I had set up a tour. I cancelled tours to do roles before. But I have to find the time to make that up to my audience. I made a commitment to them.
Jill Scott
#42. The artists who stand out to me have a passion for what they do. There are a lot of people who can sing. It's just like when you go to church and people are singing because it sounds good, not because it feels good. There's a difference.
Jill Scott
#43. Being on set is a hard thing. A lot of people are like, 'Oh, you get to make a movie, and it's all fun.' But the reality is, it's a lot of hours. It's a lot of reshoots; it's a lot of waiting. And you can become increasingly agitated by the amount of time that you are waiting. But that's real.
Jill Scott
#44. There's a certain level of realness in Philly. You know, just - people are people. You know, it doesn't matter who you are or who you think you are, you're just a person in Philly.
Jill Scott
#45. My grill is intended to be discreet. It's there because I enjoy jewelry.
Jill Scott
#46. I defy any woman who is pregnant and trying to concentrate really hard not to feel distracted.
Jill Scott
#47. Don't stop dreaming just because you had a nightmare.
Jill Scott
#48. I think every individual has his or her own power, and it's a matter of working, taking time and defining what that power is.
Jill Scott
#49. People is, I think, it's their nature - some people's nature, in a way, to be angry or jealous or just spiteful about somebody else's blessings.
Jill Scott
#50. I have a few caftans just for lounging purposes. When I want to feel free, it's the closest thing to feeling naked without being naked.
Jill Scott
#51. As slavery died for the greater good of America, and the movement for equality sputtered to life, the white woman was on the cover of every American magazine. She was the dazzling jewel on every movie screen, the glory of every commercial and television show.
Jill Scott
#52. I chose 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective,' or I'll say it chose me, and it was an absolute blessing, for the experience of being in Africa for seven months and learning so many different things, from languages to foods to greetings. On so many levels, it was an incredible experience.
Jill Scott
#53. For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It's an accessory.
Jill Scott
#54. For anyone who feels they are overwhelmed by their job, or maybe they take their job too seriously or are working too hard, I say go to a safari, particularly the Okavango Delta, and just be humbled.
Jill Scott
#55. My only job is to be happy. So for everybody that cares about me and is not trying to be all up in a celebrity's business, just know that I'm happy. My son is happy. We enjoy our lives,
Jill Scott
#56. I just think it's silly to be stingy with compliments. If you see someone and they strike you as beautiful in any way, why not let them know?
Jill Scott
#57. Just because you have a nightmare doesn't mean you stop dreaming.
Jill Scott
#58. When you have a cast and crew of people who make it light hearted and crack jokes, and break treats, and understand that we are all in this together. That's a biggest plus that you can have.
Jill Scott
#59. Singing and acting suit me. I made a vow to myself to do everything that I can do with this life that I have, and I have to find the time to do this. Sometimes I need to be an actress. Sometimes I don't need to be Jill. However, everyone is always looking for the Jill in everything.
Jill Scott
#60. The best gift I was ever given was the arts. My mum gave me those on a silver platter. Growing up, her and my grandmother would take me to ballets, classical concerts, even smoky jazz clubs I wasn't supposed to be in!
Jill Scott
#61. I have been training since 8th grade, but it has to do with listening, more than practice.
Jill Scott
#62. I didn't leave home until 27. I was an only child raised in Philadelphia by my mother and grandmother. My grandmother controlled the stove. She made a lot of potato meals - mashed potato, potato souffle, potato pancakes. When we didn't have electricity, we ate romantically by candlelight.
Jill Scott
#63. My heart and prayers go out to all single moms because it's tough, and I can't imagine any teenager dealing with a baby and all those hormones raging.
Jill Scott
#64. I believe the relationship you have with your government is not so different to a love relationship.
Jill Scott
#65. I'd love to work with Missy Elliott. I'd love to work with Bonnie Raitt. I'd love, love, love to work with Barbra Streisand. I'm reaching, because why not? You don't know what's going to happen in this life.
Jill Scott
#66. All you ever really want is a great character and great writing. As an actor, that's the juiciest sandwich you could ever ask for.
Jill Scott
#67. Soul music is about longevity and reaching and touching people on a human level - and that's never going to get lost.
Jill Scott
#68. I did an internship at the Ardent theatre company in Philly after dropping out of college. I was earning $165 a week building sets and cleaning the toilets. Cleaning toilets is a good way of getting in touch with your creativity. That's when you find out if you got anything going on in your head.
Jill Scott
#69. I was once making a burger for myself at my boyfriend's house and a lyric started pouring out and I had to catch it, so I ran to another room to write it down, but then the kitchen caught fire. His cabinets were charred, and he was furious. But it was worth it for a song.
Jill Scott
#70. When I sing, I have to live in that moment, so my audience can feel that. That is my reason for doing art.
Jill Scott
#71. I panicked when my son, Jett, stopped eating baby food. He's only two, but his food vocabulary is fantastic. He likes my baked tilapia and string beans with chopped garlic. But he really likes pizza. Sometimes every inanimate object to him is pizza.
Jill Scott
#72. One of the things I love about Africa is the amount of dignity and respect and humility you see all the time. You don't realise how often you're disrespected until you are surrounded by respect.
Jill Scott
#73. When I first became famous, I didn't know if I could go where I wanted to because I didn't know how people were going to act. Some folks would scream and holler, and I didn't know what to do with that.
Jill Scott
#74. I was backstage at the House of Blues in L.A where I was about to perform, and Stevie Wonder and Prince turned up at my dressing room together! Stevie started beat boxing and Prince started singing one of my songs, all of a sudden it was like I was in a cypher with these incredible artists.
Jill Scott
#75. We all get angry and jealous sometimes, none of us is perfect, but we should not try to be different.
Jill Scott
#76. Ain't nothing coming easily in this life. Sometimes you gotta work, you gotta grow and it gotta hurt ...
Jill Scott
#77. A lot of the girls I grew up with were pregnant by the time they were 16. I just was lucky.
Jill Scott
#78. I see myself being a great-grandmother at my great-grandson's graduation from a school that has my name on it.
Jill Scott
#79. That's what I enjoy most about my music - that it heals in its own time and makes us look at ourselves in its own time.
Jill Scott
#80. I was reading poetry to my girlfriends, and they were like, 'You're really good. You should go to some poetry readings or something.' And I eventually went and got a, you know, somewhat of a name for myself and a little bit of a following.
Jill Scott
#81. I just think fashion is about enjoying yourself and being comfortable in your skin and allowing you to be you - all the way live.
Jill Scott
#82. To be a queen of a household is a powerful thing.
Jill Scott
#83. Everybody is supposed to be a part of their own community.
Jill Scott
#84. I've been enjoying playing with fashion - gold grills and diamond grills have just become a part of that.
Jill Scott
#86. If I feel really ugly or unhappy, sometimes I'll choose bright colors so they'll make me feel good. Yellows, pinks, light blues and orange. I just want to feel good all the time if I can. And colors and hairstyles and all that kind of helps out.
Jill Scott
#87. I think what irks me is that I feel like women are really being compartmentalized physically, and it's been done so much that now we're doing it to ourselves. I don't like it.
Jill Scott
#88. I've always enjoyed shows like 'The X-Files,' where you're on the edge of your seat and you're so invested in these characters.
Jill Scott
#89. I don't think I'll get married again. I'm not looking for it. What I can say about my divorce and my failed engagement is that I learned where my bar is.
Jill Scott
#90. Nothing has gotten me out of Philadelphia. I moved 20 minutes away from Philly. That's about it.
Jill Scott
#91. Africa the continent is not just what we see on the news. It's ... not AIDS, and it's not just war and poverty. It's so much more. It's an abundant continent, and Botswana is an abundant place.
Jill Scott
#92. One of the reasons my ex-husband and I broke up is that he stopped eating my food.
Jill Scott
#93. Everything starts with writing. I heard Nikki Giovanni and was blown away. I just thought 'wow'; she was writing from a black girl's perspective, and the imagery was so vivid that I started doing spoken word.
Jill Scott
#94. Our minds do understand that people of all races find genuine love in many places. We dig that the world is full of amazing options.
Jill Scott
#95. 'Fringe' is one of my favorite television shows, from its inception. I absolutely love all of the science fiction of it, the mystery of it, and the science in it.
Jill Scott
#96. I never expected the White House to be warm, and the artwork on the walls was extraordinary. I am a fan of the Louvre, but being there it was almost just as good.
Jill Scott
#97. Just bc u loved and lost doesn't mean stop loving. If u have a nightmare, does it mean u stop dreaming?
Jill Scott
#98. I am a huge Prince fan. It's a very rare thing for him to have people open for him. It's been the Time and Sheila E., and that's about it. Building a relationship with him has been like a dream come true. I've been looking for a mentor, and I feel like I have that in him.
Jill Scott
#99. I am more spiritual than religious.
Jill Scott
#100. Power doesn't have to be on such a big scale for powerful things to occur. Within your own home, you can be a powerful woman as a mother, influencing your children's lives.
Jill Scott
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