In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six dollars a week. Being without a husband, it was hard for her to find any place at all for us to live. – Ethel Waters
Elia Kazan understood my problems. He was able to bring out the very best in me. He gave me credit for my intelligence. – Ethel Waters
We never had a bathtub. Mom would bathe me in the wooden or tin washtub in the kitchen, or in a big lard can. – Ethel Waters
I had always loved John Fords pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He used the shock treatment while directing me. – Ethel Waters
Of the primary emotions, fear is the one that bears most directly on survival. Children show fear. Adults try not to, maybe because its shameful, or, in some circumstances, dangerous. The fear response is automatic, though, and your body runs through its reflexes whether you want it to or not. – Sebastian Junger