Octavia Spencer

"African-American women were living at the time where segregation was the letter of the law, They were basically treated as second-class citizens, but they weren’t complaining. They knew that they had more to offer, and they basically rolled up their sleeves and they did the work to be a part of something greater than themselves."

"What I learn from them is to continue to enjoy the process and have that free spirit about approaching the work and to not be so rigid."

"With time comes experience and you learn that if you don’t break out of those boxes yourself, no one else will allow you to."

"I actually am not the best in front of an audience. I have severe stage fright. So I had to confront that. And in public speaking, I always get extremely nervous before any speech that I have to do, and that has not dissipated at all. And so I had to embrace the fact that I will likely always have stage fright."

"When you are starting out, show how hard you work. There’s always room for advancement. Educate yourself on what everybody else in the market is getting, and then you ask for what you deserve. You’re not always going to get it, but you also have to be willing to walk away at some point."

"I think a lot of people lose the advantage in the negotiating process if they are not willing to walk away. And Im always willing to walk away."