“For all the claims that we now live in a society free of racism, the tragedies that presently overwhelm us are a stiff dose of reality.”

Our lives depend on vote.

You think you can’t change the world? You can.

One of the first things I was taught as an actor was, ‘Don’t judge the character.’

Nobody has to give me permission to write.

They should probably have a James Brown aerobic tape. You would lose a lot of weight.

When you play characters, you shouldn’t just be putting on their characteristics – you should be finding it inside yourself.

You’re not free unless you can show the good and the bad, all sides of them. So to me, when I play a character, it’s important that I can show every aspect of them.

I was raised in a sort of village. I have a huge family, and I think there is strength in that. It helped me to deal with some of the complications of living in the South because I always felt like I belonged, no matter what.

I try to look at every role the same way, regardless of whether the character is real or the character is a fantasy. I always start from myself, because you have to know yourself first.

The projects that I end up doing, that I want to be involved with in any way, have always been projects that will be impactful, for the most part, to my people – to black people.

I’m an artist. Artists don’t need permission to work. Regardless of whether I’m acting or not, I write. I write when I’m tired in fact, because I believe your most pure thoughts surface.

I’m not afraid to work.

When it comes down to it, I’d rather have an action figure than a Golden Globe.

A superhero movie is only as great as its villains.

I would love to have an ocean of love right now. That said, the number-one rule of acting is, ‘Do not seek approval from the audience.’ People don’t realize that. You can’t do stuff to get applause. You have to live in the truth.

As an African-American actor, a lot of our stories haven’t been told.

The more stupid and unlucky man is, the more claims he makes to the woman.

Liberals seem to assume that, if you don’t believe in their particular political solutions, then you don’t really care about the people that they claim to want to help.

Love never claims, it ever gives. Love ever suffers, never resents never revenges itself.

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent.

You might be locked in a world not of your own making, her eyes said, but you still have a claim on how it is shaped. You still have responsibilities.

Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.

It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.