Quotes from Kimberly Elise

I like movies that resonate, that give voice to the voiceless.

I have the right to shine my light! That's what all women have. Once you own that, you can almost always shine your light.

I love seeing my mom and my daughter embrace their natural hair. I'm glad I've embraced it, too.

I believe in getting a good education to be able to go out into the world and make a difference.

I decided to start embracing and wearing my natural hair, but there was only one problem; I didn't know what to do with it or how to style it. Growing up, all I knew was my relaxed, processed hair, so I had to go through this learning phase.

It's what I tell my daughters: Know that your birthright is to shine your light, and don't let anybody deny you of that right. Take responsibility for your life.

I can be dramatic. I can be funny. I can be sexy. I can be sad. I can be glad.

I watched Westerns from the time I was a girl. My dad was a big Western fan. I always loved Clint Eastwood movies and 'Westworld', where the guy gets trapped in a western-themed amusement park. The western motif was fascinating to me.

A solid sense of self will help a person to lead a full and happy life.

I live a very joyful life, with a lot of laughter and good times.

In my college days, I went wild with my hair. I dyed it every color in the book and, quite naturally, my hair would break off from all the damage. When our hair breaks off, of course, there's only one thing to do - braid it up. I wore braids for a while and would always feel like I just never knew what to do with my hair.

Thankfully, I was given a strong base by my parents, an understanding of who I was and my strength.

I have a lot of compassion for human beings in life experiences, so I allow myself to feel what these characters are feeling and don't have a problem accepting that.

I'm very free with all my emotions, whether it's happy, sad, mad, glad, whatever.

Whatever it is that I feel, I express it! I am free with my joy, my laughter, my pleasure, my pain, and I am blessed in that way as an actress that I can access those feelings within myself and not be ashamed to show whatever that is that's appropriate for the character.

I always look at things half full and definitely see a change in how things are going as far as black actresses and their opportunities.

We need happy, productive citizens on our planet for us to survive.

I don't have to be glamorous all the time.

I am actually very in touch with all of my emotions, from joy to pain, and I am free with them.

I grew up an athlete. Track and field and dance. In track, I actually went to the Junior Olympics. I've always been very athletic.

Hollywood is so governed by the ego, and I never wanted to fall into that trap.

Self-esteem is such a challenging issue for young women.

'Beloved.' That's an amazing film and I'm sorry more people didn't see it when it came out.

If Judd Apatow called me, I'd do it without thinking about it. I think he does really fun movies.