Nse Ikpe-Etim

"I’m not a star. I’m just a working actor. Being a ‘movie star’ is not what defines me as a person. What defines me is the smile I’m able to put on someone’s face."

"When I get a script, apart from what my director is planning to draw for me, I go to the drawing board, I imagine a lot of things. I dig up experiences which might not be my own. Things I have heard and I create the character."

"I wasn’t born to get married, so I don’t need to rush."

"You should do what you want to do according to what you believe in. Whatever you believe in and that works for you, do it. What I believe in is ‘live and let live’. I try as much as possible to abide by the rules of life."

"My output is based on what I get. It’s based on the surroundings. So if you give me something bad, I won’t do well."

"Food is art. Every new recipe comes with its own experience and I am open. I cook everyday and I might as well eat it… I also love take outs too when I find good food."

"Good friends always nudge you in the right direction."

"Don’t Cook the books be thorough in all you do."

"Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Keep going. Stay fearless."

"When I was asked if my cup was half-full or half-empty, my response was - I'm thankful I have a cup."

"Dear black girl, don't be afraid to shine. Your hair is beautiful and your skin is divine."

"I was told I couldn’t have kids and so, I had to have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) to have a life again and to stop going through what I was going through. I’m literally telling women and men, it really doesn’t matter if you can’t bear children. What really matters is what you would do for the world, for the universe."

"I’m literarily telling women and men, it really doesn’t matter if you can’t bear children. What really matters is what you would do for the world, for the universe."

"My society taught me that I have to be a mother to be appreciated and every time I went online, I would have one troll or two say ‘you never born? But I’m thankful that that didn’t break me."

"I did not know one day l would be able to talk about my secret because l thought nobody actually cares. I later realized l will not be helping anybody and am thankful about it. You can actually face your fears and conquer them at the same time, that is what l chose to do. Just do you, Just do what you love. Don’t do it because people are going to look at you and think that you are a woman."

"Be ready because women have decided that we will work. We will no longer rely on men. When I say work, it’s real work ooo. All work is work."

"Life is short. Make every side-eye count."

"Follow your energy and do what you love all the time; the distinction between work and play dissolves."

"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. This is where we live, and it is up to you and me to protect the mother earth who nourishes us."

"If we start being honest about our mental health, instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll be the change we desire, and perhaps make the world a better place than we found it."

"Drink water, do your squats, wear your wellies, eat your vegetables, wear your lipstick, and don’t let boys be mean to you."

"There is danger in letting people misname you. If you’re a fire, do not answer when they call you a spark."