Nia Long Quotations

I took a little break - I was coming back to work and the last thing I was going to do was take a step backwards, so I knew that if I was going to take a feature it was going to have to be taking a step forward.

Well, the studios don't really want to take those risks right off the bat. They'll take the risk after they've seen the finished product and say oh yeah we want that. This is a great film but they are hesitant to take the risk when you just see it on paper.

They have the big ferris wheel and we've been out of town for two months, so he just was like, 'Mommy I want to go to Toys R Us and I don't care if you have a movie coming out and all that.' He was just being a kid. But I had to allow him to have that moment.

I have a beautiful son, I don't regret it, I'm very proud of the way that we handle our relationship and the way that we keep our son first and that's our priority.

I know for me like I have a reputation of being kind of tough, I have a reputation of also being the girl next door, kind of sweet but I have standards and my thing is, it's me on that screen and I don't have control over everything in this and I'm grateful and thankful.

I was happy she got it and I have to sort of - and one of the reasons I did Third Watch is because I wanted to break that thing of just being the pretty girl and play it down and let it be about the work.

It's like going to the gym everyday. It really is. I work hard on my craft, I sweat a little bit, I run a little bit, I might sprain an ankle every now and them, but it's all good and the more you do it, the more in shape you are and it's like a machine.

First of all when you're a mommy like you like the consistency of being on a show like that's just peace of mind, I know I have financial, you know stability.

I think Nina Simone has had an amazing journey. She was spicy and she had attitude and she didn't care, she wanted her money in a paper bag and don't mess with me and I've been doing some research on that so.

I think you grow through your experiences; you get better as you grow and I'm not nearly where I think I'm going to be eventually where I inspire to be and hopefully the opportunities will continue to come.

I think for me to find that project is going to be something that I'm going to have to develop for myself.

But that we didn't have the level of experience in terms of working in the industry so you weren't sure and you needed to see it and this is an industry that the more you work the better you get and that the more opportunities you have the better you get.

You need the words, you need the script, you need the material, you need the commitment, you need the passion, it's like we depend on writers, we depend on producers, directors depend on us and once things are in the divine order as they happen.

I've seen some great write ups and I emailed her the other night because I saw her on an awards show recently.

He just was being four. He just was being a child. He wasn't interested in what my agenda was. He wanted to do what he wanted to do and it started because he saw the lights on in Toys R Us.

I don't think you should reprimand your child for everything you're feeling because for them it's as serious as when something happens in our day and we get upset about it.

I have a four year old and I'm telling you we did Nickelodeon last night and he embarrassed me. It was like one of those moments when I couldn't believe my kid is acting like this. I just had to just like walk away from him because he was really pushing my buttons.

It's my motor, it's the thing that keeps me going and so when I have these auditions for these big movies, I can depend on myself because I've been working consistently.

I know where I'm going to be, I'm not traveling here and there and everywhere. That didn't necessarily prompt me to it but it definitely opened up my mind of saying okay, maybe this is a good time to do this.

I said 'Brian, no one is going to respect me as a mother after this.' He said, 'oh no, yes they will, this is a movie, don't worry about it.' But they're not.

I think there are a lot of other actors that are just talented, it's just about this opportunity - it's just about when are we going to be put in those positions where we can shine.

I'm not going to live my life unhappy and why should he and we talk about it and I think what's great about the film is that it shows is the meaning of family doesn't have to be as traditional as it once was, like you can make a family.

In terms of Cube I think he's very conscious of the technical aspect of the business whereas when you're just hired as an actor, you're not really secure in that part of your work and you're not really paying attention to where the camera.

It took a long time to get that film made. I went in for it almost right after or like maybe six or seven months after I had my son and actually auditioned for the Regina King part and they just were like, 'No, you're just - you just don't really seem the part.'

We haven't even gotten a start date but we'll see what happens with that and that will be fun. I've gotten a couple of other things but I'm not really committing myself to anything yet.

We're all in the service business. If you hire me to do a job I expect everybody else to be where I am. A little bit of crazy is good. It keeps things - balanced.

I can look at a scene and know exactly how I felt in that moment. It's weird but I can watch Boys in the Hood and know exactly how I felt in a moment.

Was she crazy? Aren't we all? Aren't us all a little bit left - aren't we all just a little bit like - we're often misunderstood.

I just got the script for 'Big Mama's House II' and so that's kind of circulating. We'll see what happens with that. It's on the release schedule.

For the most part, I'm very happy with the pace I'm taking to get where I'm going. I think, in a couple of years, everyone will know who Nia Long is.

I've always been raised to love everyone, to accept everyone for their differences, and to just be open. But at a young, a very young age, I realized what racism was all about.

I'm more of a short-hair girl; short hair is a lot more low-maintenance than long hair. And when you're in front of camera every day and your hair is being flatironed and blow-dried it's easier to have a weave so you don't damage your own hair.

Good shoes and a good scent make the perfect day.

My priorities are really about creating balance in my home, making sure that I have enough time with my kids, making sure that I have the time to do the things that I want to do with my career, and to continue to make movies.

I'm a self-made woman. I've never compromised myself.

As long as the acting is good, I can appreciate it.

It would certainly would be great to see more films featuring the black family and showing that we are capable of having that unit strong and present and beautiful, because that's so much of who we really are.

I am in constant search for that project that speaks to me personally. And when all the pieces come together properly, it'll happen.

I think that if something matters to you, and is important to you, then you give it the attention and energy it deserves. So, I don't look upon it as a price, but as an opportunity to influence the community in a healthy way.

I love shoes. I am a shoe fanatic. I have a special closet in my home just for my shoes.

Directing music videos is all about capturing images.

I know how to make other women look beautiful: from hair to makeup to wardrobe. So, I feel that I have a gift with imaging, and that's kind of fundamental to the music video process.

I believe everyone should have the freedom to represent what they believe-in in their own way.

I think it's a beautiful thing when you wear a uniform or a garb which represents a group of people, because what it immediately symbolizes is oneness, togetherness.

I believe that whatever your religious preference, there has to be a commitment to family because everything really does start there.

The minute your child is born, your life is changed forever. I think I've become so aware of how important balance is in life.

So much of parenting is following your instincts, and taking the time to actually know your child.

I can tell you it makes a big difference to have a director who is collaborative. What motivates a character in my mind could be completely different from what the director's thinking. You have to have those conversations ahead of time and throughout the process. It affects the performance.

I have been in situations where actors are treated like robots: say the lines, say it like this, we don't have time for conversations. That is a terrible position to be in as an artist. You feel used.

I want to have conversations, because they give you confidence in your choices. I learned it first on Boyz n the Hood, but it is not a race-based experience - it is part of the artistic process.

I'm working on a project called Lemons, produced by Killer Films. The director has a great perspective on character development.

When you have all the bells and whistles - you've got the big, fancy catering, you've got the big, fancy car service and the big, fancy trailer - it makes it very comfortable and everybody's making a lot of money. But that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to end up with a great film.

In talking and communicating, [it's important that we] really share information with one another - because I think that leads to better understanding - and also just kind of [educate] one another in a way that's really honest.

I think that's the most important thing: that we create dialogue.

I don't really like to compare my life as an actress and being my son's mother. My personal life and my professional life are very different, and I try to keep them separate, just because my personal life is so precious to me.

I learned there's a tremendous amount of sisterhood among Muslim women, which I thought was really beautiful.

I'm also working on another independent film called Roxanne, Roxanne, about Roxanne Shante, who was one of the first African American battle rappers from Brooklyn. It is produced by Forest Whitaker and Pharrell [williams], so I'm really in great hands.

I think every family has that moment when the parents realize they need help and think, Oh my gosh. We cannot do this all alone. Every woman has that panic at some point in motherhood when you feel completely overwhelmed and constantly tired.

Americans are in need of very objective information, and sometimes it's easier to absorb the message through entertainment and through a great story than through the news outlets [where] everything is sensationalized. Not only are you getting information that sort of defies stereotypes, but you're also getting a wonderful story with hopefully good performances.

I'm kind of pinching myself in the morning. Like, wait, you really did pray to have a body of work that stays diversified and interesting. And I have it!

Collaboration is necessary for making great art. Everybody has a perspective on what they think or feel the material should ultimately look like when it hits the screen.

Whether you're playing a mom on-screen or you're in a car pool lane driving your child to school in the morning, there are similarities that are undeniable. And once you're a mother, there are certain things that are instinct. You just have a better understanding of what it means to be a mother.

I try to do the same thing when I'm with young actors who are new and unsure. I try to do the same thing for them that I saw Laurence [Fishburne] and Angela [Dasset]do for all of us on Boyz n the Hood.

Just like in Christianity or Buddhism, obviously there are certain practices that dictate one's life, but I don't think you can say all Muslim women are a certain way.

I don't think the religion makes the woman; I think the woman is who she is within the religion.

I think it's dangerous to look at every Muslim woman the same and to assume that every experience within the religion is the same, meaning that there are going to be strong and assertive women that are Muslim. There's going to be a more passive woman who just so happens to be a Muslim. There may be a funny, big-personality woman and she's Muslim.

I want to raise my children in a safe country. I want to help the children in the world who do not feel safe. I know what it feels like to feel unsafe. We need to do way better. Our country needs to do better.

I don’t feel less loved or less loving because I’m not married.

Marriage is not a priority for me. I'm not saying I'll never do it. It's just not where we are as a family . . . I'll be at home with my man, having a perfectly loving time, and I'll see all these comments on some site about how wrong I am for not being married. I don't feel less loved or less loving because I'm not married.

Weave sex is a little awkward.

I am not supporting Donald Trump. I think he does this country such a disservice. And I'm gonna leave it there.

I do think gun control is important. I am a supporter of gun control.

To put it in layman's terms, crazy is crazy. And crazy will find a way to do something crazy. Racist is racist. And racist people will find a way to project their racism onto the world.

So I think if we’d just take our time as women, and do what comes natural to us and for us, we would make fewer mistakes.

I will say that I appreciate Hillary Clinton's awareness and passion for women. I think she is overqualified in the sense that she's been in the White House, so she knows the drill. I am hopeful that she will continue to support minorities and create better opportunities.

I attribute my talent and my success to God, but I believe that the only way you can manifest what He has ordained for you is by being close to Him and by making it happen. But we have to stay close to Him in order to be an image of Him.

There are black men who are madly in love with white women. God bless them, if that's what works for them. I just hope that we can strike a balance that portrays black folks and the black family in a light that's not extreme. Those are the types of characters that I find myself attracted to.

Every woman deserves diamonds, and even if you can't afford to go out and buy diamonds for yourself or you don't have actual stone diamonds, I think when we look at ourselves we should refer to ourselves as a precious stone.

I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money. But if we can't put some of our investments, or some of our money back into humans, isn't that where it all begins?

The last step will be letting my hair go natural. That’s when you’ll know I’m free…

Enjoy life, study hard, play hard, be kind to other people, set high standards, and don't be afraid to say "No."

I admire the women who can have babies and jump right back to work. As a nursing mother, I couldn’t sit there and just pump all day. I needed to be close to my baby.