“How are we going to get rid of racism? Stop talking about it!”

I’m not intimidated by lead roles. I’m better in them. I don’t feel pressure. I feel released at times like that. That’s what I’m born to do.

As long as you feel like a victim, you are one.

In the harshest place on Earth, love finds a way.

We humans are more concerned with having than with being.

I was an imaginative child and learning to read was like unlocking another dimension in my mind.

My approach to acting is that I am totally intuitive. I read the script and I get it. If I don’t get it, I can’t do it.

You can’t take credit for talent; you can only take credit for using it.

“Invictus” was more a parable in terms of what is possible in life.

Studies have shown kids have a greater chance for lifelong success if they know how to read by the third grade.

You are never too old to have a revelation.

There is tangible fear in the unknown, but we can all do our part and take steps to help.

I’ve learned that with all the advantages that come with being a grown up comes responsibility. Responsibility to be true to yourself, responsibility to honor those who came before you and responsibility to those who will come after you.

Write something insightful. Say Morgan Freeman said it. Win at internet.

Audiences believe what you believe. It’s a matter of believing yourself. If I believe me, then you’ve got no choice. None at all.

So if I believe in God, and I do, it’s because I think I’m God.

When you have made your choice, it is providence that is your guide. Good, bad, or indifferent. Your fate lies in that.

We need some creative tension; people crying out for the things they want.

We must root out systemic racism.

No tolerance for racism, but without violence.

Our freedom is threatened every time one of our young people is killed by another child, every time a person gets stopped and beaten by the police because of the color of their skin.

You can’t hate the roots of a tree and not hate the tree.

When you fight to honor racists, you show black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand, and you continue this cycle of hurt. You can’t change history, but you can change this.

You can’t have capitalism without racism.

Being held accountable for racism and feeling shame is not the same thing as being shamed.