Jill Scott Quotes

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

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

A nutritionist has told me to have very little butter and very little spices, but I can't live like that. ~ Jill Scott

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

I don't necessarily think of myself as a feminist, but I'm a whole person. ~ Jill Scott

I think the first time I really heard poetry was in the schoolyard. Just the little limericks that kids say when they're jumping rope and playing games. I think that's the first time I heard rhyming words - I don't know if I'd call that the definitive poetry, but that's when I heard rhyming words said and not necessarily sung. ~ Jill Scott

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

It's frustrating me - that booty is gonna sag at some point. And if you allow enough people to come inside your physical space, they leave traces. ~ Jill Scott

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

People think that lemon is good for the voice, but it dries it out. ~ Jill Scott

Music shouldn't be a chore or feel like any kind of burden. ~ Jill Scott

When I get onstage, I automatically feel beautiful. ~ Jill Scott

When I got my success, I became decadent for a while. This was 2003 to 2008. I fell for tiramisu really hard. I've become more moderate since, because African-Americans are prone to diabetes. ~ Jill Scott

My grill is intended to be discreet. It's there because I enjoy jewelry. ~ Jill Scott

I get scripts all the time, but I read this [Baggage Claim] thoroughly, and I loved it. It was light hearted, cute, sweet, and funny. I told my agent that I liked the script, but I did let my acceptance of the role slide a little, until I was watching television one day; scrolling through the stations, and there was this play. And I don't like plays made for the screen. But, this one, "Suddenly Single", caught my attention. ~ Jill Scott

I could hear music playing in the background of works by certain authors, like Poe and Shakespeare. And I discovered Nikki Giovanni when I was in eighth grade. Her writing has a musical energy with pulse and rhythm, almost like jazz or hip-hop. ~ Jill Scott

I could float in the pool for hours, just letting the water carry me. ~ Jill Scott

I do want love. Genuine love. ~ Jill Scott

I've been enjoying playing with fashion - gold grills and diamond grills have just become a part of that. ~ Jill Scott

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

Most of the time, particularly with this record, 'The Light of the Sun,' I really just been standing in front of a microphone and blacking out musically, you know. I'd come back a couple hours later and there's six songs from beginning to end, you know? I don't know what I'm going to say. I don't know how I'm going to say it. ~ Jill Scott

Nothing has gotten me out of Philadelphia. I moved 20 minutes away from Philly. That's about it. ~ Jill Scott

I believe the relationship you have with your government is not so different to a love relationship. ~ Jill Scott

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

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

We all get angry and jealous sometimes, none of us is perfect, but we should not try to be different. ~ Jill Scott

I had to wear a fat suit to play Mma Ramotswe in 'The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.' She's described as being like a small elephant, but she loves her body and size. When we were filming in Africa, it was 110F. It was torturous. I drank a lot of water and ate cucumbers all the time, and underneath the fat suit, I shed pounds - I couldn't help it. ~ Jill Scott

I just want to continue to grow, as an actor, and dig. Hopefully, one day, I'll lose myself in a role. My only worry about that is that I just want to be able to come back home. I don't want to get lost forever. That scares me. ~ Jill Scott

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

Soul music is about longevity and reaching and touching people on a human level - and that's never going to get lost. ~ Jill Scott

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

The video for 'Whatever' is kind of a documentary in a way. It's showing that love can last. Not just in your early 20s or your late 30s, but in your 50s, 60s and 70s. There's an awful myth out there that when you get married, love and lovemaking fade. It's not true. ~ Jill Scott

Mos Def is one of the most creative, intelligent human beings I've had the opportunity to work with. He is fun. The entire time, he would go in and out of different characters, just for the fun of it. Awesome energy. ~ Jill Scott

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

In order to grow emotionally and mentally, sometimes you have to grow physically as well. I'm just trying to grow, man, and always I just want to be the best and most confident me I can be. ~ Jill Scott

Ain't nothing coming easily in this life. Sometimes you gotta work, you gotta grow and it gotta hurt ... ~ Jill Scott

My intention is to make music that you can enjoy at all times. ~ Jill Scott

I like to be in the now, now. Sometimes musicians have to wait for me to be genuine with it. As an actor, I don't have that luxury. You have to make it legit when they say 'action.' ~ Jill Scott

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

I'm a method actor as well as a method singer. ~ Jill Scott

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

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

I'm going to do as much as I can with this life, and then I'm going to make sure to take some time off and be simple and ride my bike and hang out with friends. ~ Jill Scott

I'm going to be a strict mum. I know that love is the most important thing - you've got to have lots of kisses and cuddles - but you also need to mix it with discipline or you'll be in a heap of trouble. ~ Jill Scott

There are repercussions to everything, even advancement and success. And I think that the repercussions to my success was the loss of my marriage. ~ Jill Scott

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

It excites me when a person puts their whole self in a song or rhyme, or instrument. It fills me. ~ Jill Scott

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

I see myself being a great-grandmother at my great-grandson's graduation from a school that has my name on it. ~ Jill Scott

Being a mom, it feels like I did something so powerful and amazing. It's such a gigantic blessing, and a confirmation that the Creator exists. And all of that has made me feel sexier and stronger. I call it 'lava in my spine.' ~ Jill Scott

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

I like to read Octavia E. Butler's 'Wild Seed' over and over again. And J. California Cooper's 'The Wake of the Wind.' That one makes me cry from joy. I'll mourn - I'll actually mourn - and then I'll cry from joy. She's wonderful. ~ Jill Scott

There's a high school in Camden, New Jersey, I call the Jill Scott School. It's the Camden Creative Arts High School. Those teachers and kids are so passionate about what they do, and 98 percent of the senior class went on to college. ~ Jill Scott

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

I truly loved being pregnant and feeling what was going on inside my body and watching it change. It's difficult to recoup, but still amazing nonetheless. I would have another one. ~ Jill Scott

I am more spiritual than religious. ~ Jill Scott

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

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

A lot of the girls I grew up with were pregnant by the time they were 16. I just was lucky. ~ Jill Scott

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

I love foods that start in my cheeks and then vibrate up. ~ Jill Scott

I like a man who smells good. Puts on cologne; lotions his body. It keeps me wanting. I like feeling that way. ~ Jill Scott

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

One of the reasons my ex-husband and I broke up is that he stopped eating my food. ~ Jill Scott

My son, Jett, is two, and when I was pregnant my nose got bigger, so I got a new one. Everything was bigger for a while after having Jet, but I knew I needed to be able to walk up my stairs without being winded. It took me two years to lose 60 lbs - lots of walking, bike-riding, kick-boxing and performing. ~ Jill Scott

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

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

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

Common is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and to describe him as a vile rapper because he has an opinion ... just says a lot about the state of America. You are allowed to have an opinion in the United States - he's never harmed anybody, he just has an opinion about a president that wasn't good for our country. ~ Jill Scott

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

She is the keeper of my heart, my soul, my dick and balls. ~ A.K. Kuykendall

I'm a world-class people watcher. I like to watch people's body movements, their expressions. It says so much about them. ~ Jill Scott

Africa doesn't leap on you immediately; it seeps slowly, and it's incredibly important to be respectful and humble there. ~ Jill Scott

Sometimes I feel like a Buddhist and I need to chant; sometimes a Baptist and I need to holler and shout; and sometimes I need to be a Catholic and need to purge my sins and confess. It just depends on where I am. ~ Jill Scott

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

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

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

Heartbreak was the impetus to me writing poems and music in the first place. Over the years, I had my heart broken so badly that if I didn't find a way to get all the pain out, I was going to lose my mind. I was crazy! Like, wanting to slash tires and smash car windows. Crazy! I was so hurt that I had to write. ~ Jill Scott

I think all any artist or person wants to do is grow spiritually, emotionally, professionally and mentally. ~ Jill Scott

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

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

The only person that I'm really feeling - because she has an identity of her own, even though she has listened to Mary J. Blige - is Jill Scott. ~ Mary J. Blige

Just bc u loved and lost doesn't mean stop loving. If u have a nightmare, does it mean u stop dreaming? ~ Jill Scott

I've learned that friendship does not equate business, business does not equate friendship. ~ Jill Scott

One day, I just got up to read a poem and started singing. I looked around - the reaction was great. And I said, 'Oh, boy. I like this.' ~ Jill Scott

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

A woman is more than the sum of her parts. So I had an opportunity to present some work at the White House. I chose not just to talk about the sky, the planet, love or heartache. I wanted to actually be there, to place a mark on that moment. ~ Jill Scott

There are black marriages that are still going strong 40 years later. You hear so many myths that there aren't any people making it, but there are. As long as there are some, there's hope. ~ Jill Scott

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

I was reared in a Jehovah's Witness household. I was taught that every man should be judged by his deeds and not his color, and I firmly stand where my grandmother left me. ~ Jill Scott

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

I think human beings will always still really enjoy using our imaginations, and 'Fringe' allows you to do that. It's slightly scary and believable. There just might be an alternate universe. There just might be people on the other side that are like us, living a different life. ~ Jill Scott

My mother's a genius. She just kept feeding me art on whatever we had; paper plates, silver platter, didn't matter. You know, she just kept feeding it to me. So we went to see all kinds of theater. We would go to the art museum pretty much every Sunday, and I would watch her. She let me know that art was supposed to touch. ~ Jill Scott

Just because you have a nightmare doesn't mean you stop dreaming. ~ Jill Scott

I'm looking at the head of the household, and the house hasn't been run properly for a long time, ... Clinton was the first person ever to make a formal apology to black people for slavery, which was very warm and appreciated. But African-Americans haven't healed at all . The wound is still very open. And seeing the differences in how people live, it just puts salt in it- constantly . Seeing the way we're treated within these United States ... it burns you even more every day. ~ Jill Scott

I'm sorry that 'Fringe' is gone. I really wanted to do more on that show. It was great! ~ Jill Scott

For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It's an accessory. ~ Jill Scott

African people worldwide are known to be welcoming and open-minded. ~ Jill Scott

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

I was conceived after doctors told my mother she'd never have children. I'm a miracle - we all are. ~ Jill Scott