Denzel Washington's Quotes

Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do.

At the end of the day, it's not about what you have or even what you've accomplished. It's about what you've done with those accomplishments. Its about who you've lifted up, who you've made better. It about what you've given back" (23).

If you have an enemy, then learn and know your enemy, don't just be mad at him or her

What it taught me was forgiveness. It taught me that when people present themselves in a certain way, there's probably some back story or issue or reason for the way that they are. It's not you. It's them. And a lot of times, its about something that's completely out of their control

So you never know who you touch. You never know how or when you'll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else" (20).

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.

We do what we have to so we can do what we want to.

The strongest, toughest men all have compassion. They're not heartless and cold. You have to be man enough to have compassion - to care about people and about your children" (217) - John Singleton "Oh Man, I've Become My Father

You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That's a part of it.

Do what you have to do, to do what you want to do.

Just because you are doing a lot more doesn't mean you are getting a lot done. Don't confuse movement with progress!

Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons.

There is nothing good or bad, except by comparison" (209) - "Effort is Everything" by Bud Selig

When you don't understand something, you label it and condemn it" (94) - Danny Glover, "The Fundamental Things

What are you doing extra? That's what counts. That's when you're working hard - when you're going above and over what's expected of you" (102). - Tony Gonzalez, "The Giant Within

Without commitment, you'll never start. But more importantly, without consistency, you'll never finish.

So you never know who you are going to touch. You never know how or when you'll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else" (20) - Denzel Washington, "So that We Might Follow

There are two kinds of pain in this world. The pain that hurts, the pain that alters.

Old man’s gotta be the old man, fish has gotta be the fish. You gotta be who you are in this world, no matter what.

Don't tell me what they said about me. Tell me why they were so comfortable to say it to you.

There's nothing good or bad, except by comparison" (210) - Bud Selig "Effort is Everything

Don't get all sentimental on me, Makes me think I'm gonna die.

A wise woman knows the importance of speaking life into her man. If you love him; believe in him, encourage him and be his peace.

do what you got to do now, so you can do what you want to do later

Fall forward!

Don't just aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.

Every day, sincerely and without phoniness, Lou demonstrated by his actions how very vital it is - more than anything else - to understand and appreciate the people who work with you...Do your job well, but always remember that the people you work with are your most valuable asset. Embrace them. Honor them. Respect them" (206) - "Prescriptions for Success" by John Schuerholz

We have all received our share of good fortune, so that's my definition of much. A single blessing is all the bounty in the world, and if you've been blessed at all you're meant to pass some of that on. You're meant to set a positive example. That's our responsibility" (20).

No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helped you. —ALTHEA GIBSON • A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view. —OPRAH WINFREY • Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had positive influences in his or her life…. A mentor. —DENZEL WASHINGTON

Just because you don’t share it on social media, doesn't mean you’re not up to big things. Live it and stay low key. Privacy is everything.

We've all received our share of good fortune, so that's my definition of much. A single blessing is all the bounty in the world, and if you've been blessed at all you're meant to pass some of that on. You're meant to set a positive example. That's our responsibility" (20) - Denzel Washington, "So that We Might Follow

He taught us that everyone has a good story and the more of others you understand, the better your grasp of human nature, a gift given great weight in my family" (73). - Bill Clinton, "Paying Attention

What are you doing extra? That's what counts. That's when you're working hard - when you're going above and over what's expected of you" (102) - Tony Gonzalez, "The Giant Within

Do what you have to do, to do what you want to do!

You have to do what you gotta do in this life in order to do what you wanna do...

You'll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse,' Denzel Washington often said as we worked together on 'Fences.' 'I don't care how much money you have or what level of notoriety you've achieved, you can't take any of it with you.' There is a cap on earthly success, a ceiling on the amount of joy that possessions and awards can bring before disillusionment sets in. Our appearance, our prosperity, the applause: all of it is so fleeting. But a life of true significance has unlimited impact. It is measured in how well we've loved those around us, how much we've given away, how many seeds we've sown along our path. During her ninety-six years, Ms. [Cicely] Tyson has discovered the potent elixir: she has lived a life of that is bigger than she is, an existence grounded in purpose and flourishing in service to others. That is her defining masterpiece. That is her enduring gift to us all. [Viola Davis, Foreword]

I say luck is when an opportunoty comes along, and you're prepared for it.

I know I got to eat. But I got to live too.

Success? I don't know what that word means. I'm happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody's eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That's a good day for me.

He taught us that everyone has a story and the more you understand, the better your grasp of human nature, a gift given great weight in my family" (73) - Bill Clinton "Paying Attention

Every day, sincerely and without phoniness, Lou demonstrated by his actions how very vital it is - more than anything else - to understand and appreciate the people who work with you....Do your job well, learn your job well, but always remember that the people you work with are your most valuable asset. Embrace them. Honor them. Respect them" (206) "Prescriptions for Success" by John Schuerholz

Don’t just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.

Ease is greatest threat to progress

Denzel Washington reminds us of this point: “You never know who you touch. You never know how or when you’ll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else.

People as diverse as James Baldwin and Michelle Obama, Miles Davis and Toni Morrison, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, and anonymous teachers, store clerks, steelworkers, and physicians, were all products of the Great Migration. They were all children whose life chances were altered because a parent or grandparent had made the hard decision to leave.

There is no UHaul behind the hearse.

At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you.

Don't just aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference

Success? I don’t know what that word means. I’m happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody’s eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me.

So the desire you have, that itch that you have to be whatever it is you want to be … that itch, that desire for good is God’s proof to you sent already to indicate that it’s yours. You already have it. Claim it.

At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about what you’ve done with those accomplishments. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It's about what you’ve given back.

I hope at 50 I'll be dancing like Gianluca Vacchi Party, whiskey, Bellini, Martini, Bloody Maries Bad & Boujee, Tutti Fruity booty, type that really moves me Kundalini rising, energy fill me completely I hope at 50 I'll be writing books like JK Rowling Pen and paper take me places, countries far and foreign Find a cafe up in Edinburgh, write in Scotland Let the stories in my head come out, bloom and blossom I hope at 50
I'll be wealthy like Carlos Slim Buying yachts and mansions and my mother shiny things Encrusted diamond dial on a new Patek Philippe Chill in Maldives but do charity in Ardabil I hope at 50
I'll be funny like Stephen Colbert Cracking witty jokes, making everyone laugh in tears Laughter it goes round and round like a carousel Chronic comic sonic sounds of haha everywhere I hope at 50
I'll be stoic like Robert De Niro Zeno school of thought put an end to my evil ego I hope at 50
I'll be fit as The Rock, Dwayne Johnson Hard rock abs to be paired with an even harder mindset I hope at 50,
I'll be wise like Denzel Washington
Wisdom, knowledge and the faith of God under my skin I hope at 50,
I'll find real love like George Clooney
Amal Alamuddin clone is the type that really moves me

If you’re in a female-dominated field such as social services or education, you may not face many obvious double standards. But if, for instance, you make your living in front of a camera, then you know full well that if you balloon up to a size 4, your career can tank, while leading men such as Denzel Washington, John Travolta, and Russell Crowe can go from hunk to chunk with no dip in box-office appeal or earnings.

So, too, came the people who might not have existed, or became who they did, had there been no Great Migration. People as diverse as James Baldwin and Michelle Obama, Miles Davis and Toni Morrison, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, and anonymous teachers, store clerks, steelworkers, and physicians, were all products of the Great Migration. They were all children whose life chances were altered because a parent or grandparent had made the hard decision to leave.

From kindergarten through senior year of high school, Evan attended Crossroads, an elite, coed private school in Santa Monica known for its progressive attitudes. Tuition at Crossroads runs north of $ 22,000 a year, and seemingly rises annually. Students address teachers by their first names, and classrooms are named after important historical figures, like Albert Einstein and George Mead, rather than numbered. The school devotes as significant a chunk of time to math and history as to Human Development, a curriculum meant to teach students maturity, tolerance, and confidence. Crossroads emphasizes creativity, personal communication, well-being, mental health, and the liberal arts. The school focuses on the arts much more than athletics; some of the school’s varsity games have fewer than a dozen spectators. 2 In 2005, when Evan was a high school freshman, Vanity Fair ran an exhaustive feature about the school titled “School for Cool.” 3 The school, named for Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” unsurprisingly attracts a large contingent of Hollywood types, counting among its alumni Emily and Zooey Deschanel, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jack Black, Kate Hudson, Jonah Hill, Michael Bay, Maya Rudolph, and Spencer Pratt. And that’s just the alumni—the parents of students fill out another page or two of who’s who A-listers. Actor Denzel Washington once served as the assistant eighth grade basketball coach, screenwriter Robert Towne spoke in a film class, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma talked shop with the school’s chamber orchestra.

Hate, hatred for yourself, for other people, will confine you, but love can set you free.

The chances you take… the people you meet… the people you love… the faith that you have – that’s what’s going to define your life.

Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

Talent comes from God. If you have been given some, then value it, cultivate it, work and develop it.

Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency.

Put God first in everything you do … Everything that I have is by the grace of God, understand that. It’s a gift … I didn’t always stick with Him, but He stuck with me.

My kids have so much, and it's the only way I can teach them that there is a responsibility to their life that comes with being lucky. You give some of yourself to others.

Clara gawked. Like Myrna herself, her bouquets were huge, effusive and unexpected. This one contained oak and maple branches, bulrushes from the Riviere Bella Bella which ran behind Myrna’s bookshop, apple branches with a couple of McIntoshes still on them, and great armfuls of herbs. ‘What’s this?’ ‘Where?’ ‘Here, in the middle of the arrangement.’ ‘A kielbassa.’ ‘A sausage?’ ‘Hummuh, and look in there,’ Myrna pointed into the tangle. ‘The Collected Works of W. H. Auden,’ Clara read. ‘You’re kidding.’ ‘It’s for the boys.’ ‘What else is in there?’ Clara scanned the immense arrangement. ‘Denzel Washington. But don’t tell Gabri.

Successful people are grateful people. This is where we see the Law of Attraction in action. When you’re grateful, you attract more to be grateful for. The adverse is true as well. When you complain, you attract more to complain about. How do you change a lousy, self-pity, complaining, discouraged attitude? With appreciation. “Say thank you in advance for what’s already yours. That’s how I live my life. That’s one of the reasons I am where I am today.” ~ Denzel Washington

Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship