Jill Scott Quotes & Sayings

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once I started looking for a record deal, I had a trainer. And the trainer told me that I would never sell a record if I didn't lose weight. — 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

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'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

I love when I am around a veteran in [show] business. Because I can dig and ask questions, and find out the "who" and "what" of it all. — 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

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

I defy any woman who is pregnant and trying to concentrate really hard not to feel distracted. — 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

Ain't nothing coming easily in this life. Sometimes you gotta work, you gotta grow and it gotta hurt ... — 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 see myself being a great-grandmother at my great-grandson's graduation from a school that has my name on it. — Jill Scott

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

Seriously, in America there are more big, curvy girls than there are little girls, and men love us, too. — Jill Scott

I'm not interested in being commodified. I'm not into being sold. I'm not a slave. — Jill Scott

All man-made religions are limited. I go my own way. — 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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

I'm being all of me, and it feels stupendous. I don't want to leave this feeling. — 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 like a man who smells good. Puts on cologne; lotions his body. It keeps me wanting. I like feeling that way. — Jill Scott

People say that they like the characters that they believe that I am. But, I don't as much. I like the characters that I believe that I am not. Like my role on 'Law and Order.' That character unnerved people. And I loved every second of it. I want to continue growing as an actress. There are ways that I can reach quicker, or deeper, with acting. — Jill Scott

Just because you have a nightmare doesn't mean you stop dreaming. — 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

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

For my writing, and because I love talking to young women about life, I often asked them which would they rather have - a father in the house with them while growing up or a big butt? I tell you 86 percent of the time, girls say a big butt because it gets them further. — 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

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

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

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

My grandmother told me: 'Never be in debt to anyone or anything.' Which is probably why I've never been financially extravagant - I still go to Costco. I'm always conscious of living within my means. — 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 love foods that start in my cheeks and then vibrate up. — 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

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

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

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

'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

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 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

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 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

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

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

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

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

I need to find creative diversity because if I get stuck, I get unhappy. — 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

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

'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

Everybody's looking for love, and you want to love somebody and be loved in return. — 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

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

I've learned that friendship does not equate business, business does not equate friendship. — 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 need my man to be my homie. — Jill Scott

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

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

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

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

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

You owe it to yourself to live beautifully. And I am. — Jill Scott

I don't write on demand - I wait for inspiration to come. — Jill Scott

My stepfather was a very nasty individual. — Jill Scott

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

If you can't help me grow, there's no point with you being in my life. — Jill Scott

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

For a writer it's a dream to sit and watch people as close as possible. — 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

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

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

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

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

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 looking for someone who works as hard as I do. Who loves their work as much as I do, so at the end of the night we have something real to talk about, something exciting that makes our blood flow and boil. — Jill Scott

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

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

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

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

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

Whatever happens in my life, whether I stand up or I fall down, whatever the case, I'm going to use it in my art. Why? Because I'm an artist and I have to. — Jill Scott

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

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

You have to be humble when you're dealing with God. — Jill Scott