How many deaf people do you know in real life? Unless they live in a cave, or are 14, which seems to be true for most people in this business, what could I possibly tell them that they don’t already know? – Marlee Matlin
Maybe my way of communicating through sign made me more in tune with my body and how it moved. Who knows? I just know when I saw a stage for the first time, I wanted to be on it. – Marlee Matlin
I like to say that the greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind. I hope that through my example, such as my role on ‘The West Wing,’ I can help change attitudes on deafness and prove we can really do everything… except hear. – Marlee Matlin
I personally have dealt with any adversity in my life with humor. That’s why I told America to ‘Read my hips!’ on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ or was happy to play along with Jason Alexander and Jerry Seinfeld in the great restaurant scene on ‘Seinfeld.’ – Marlee Matlin
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and in spite of what most people might have expected from a young girl growing up deaf, life for me was like one long episode of ‘The Brady Bunch.’ Despite whatever barriers were in my way, I imagined myself as Marcia Brady skating down the street saying ‘hi’ to everyone, whether they knew me or not. – Marlee Matlin
You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Look out for kids, help them dream and be inspired. We teach calculus in schools, but I believe the most important formula is courage plus dreams equals success. – Marlee Matlin
I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams. – Marlee Matlin
What parent has it easy? I just never make the difficulty of it an obstacle. I just do it. – Marlee Matlin
Watch me when people say deaf and dumb, or deaf mute, and I give them a look like you might get if you called Denzel Washington the wrong name. – Marlee Matlin
At some point we have to stop and say, There’s Marlee, not, There’s the deaf actress. – Marlee Matlin
The hearing aids are very helpful for speech reading. Without the hearing aids, my voice becomes very loud, and I cannot control the quality of my voice. – Marlee Matlin
When it comes down to it, it’s about who you know, and who’s a fan. It’s about whether you’re the right age, whether you’re hot or not, whether the studio is into you or not. – Marlee Matlin
There are so many people, deaf or otherwise abled, who are so talented but overlooked or not given a chance to even get their foot in the door. – Marlee Matlin
I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own obstacles. Mine is deafness. – Marlee Matlin
Differences are scarier now. The dollar isn’t so guaranteed if you don’t follow what they see as the norm. But I don’t moan about it. I just keep working. – Marlee Matlin
I listen to Billy Joel. He is fabulous. I saw him with Elton John when they toured together, it was so great. – Marlee Matlin
There are many deaf people who couldn’t imagine living in a marriage without someone who doesn’t speak their language. For me, I believe that hearing or deaf is fine as long as both parties are willing to communicate in each other’s language. But if there’s no communication, then the marriage, I believe, will be difficult if not doomed. – Marlee Matlin
Living modestly in a suburban neighborhood while trying to support four children through private school is not extravagant or living large. – Marlee Matlin
We aren’t handicapped in any way except by what other people think. Focus on people’s abilities. I can’t be on ‘American Idol,’ but there’s all kinds of stuff I can do. – Marlee Matlin
It seems we’re always in transition and that it’s more about trends than it is about what’s meaningful. – Marlee Matlin
It was ability that mattered, not disability, which is a word I’m not crazy about using. – Marlee Matlin
The best feeling in the world is when you child just comes up to you and lays their head in your lap, for no other reason but just because. – Marlee Matlin
During a visit to California, when a friend of my grandmother’s told my parents that I must be deaf because I was not responding to sounds, my father was absolutely convinced that I was simply being stubborn. – Marlee Matlin
I’ve always wanted to write a book relating my experiences growing up as a deaf child in Chicago. Contrary to what people might think, it wasn’t all about hearing aids and speech classes or frustrations. – Marlee Matlin
