The more I'm pushed in a position of leadership and I know I have to be the mouthpiece for so many other people who can't speak for themselves, the more confidence I'm gaining.
Viola DavisRead
When you grow up in abject poverty, you see people exactly the way they are.
Interpretation
Growing up in poverty reveals the true nature of people around you.
Viola Davis highlights how experiencing abject poverty gives individuals a unique perspective on life and human nature. It strips away any illusions and forces one to confront reality, allowing for a deeper understanding of people's motivations and behaviors without the filters of privilege or comfort.
In practice
In a speech addressing social inequalities, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of understanding diverse experiences.
The more I'm pushed in a position of leadership and I know I have to be the mouthpiece for so many other people who can't speak for themselves, the more confidence I'm gaining.
What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting.
I don't care if someone is new to acting or experienced in acting: you always learn something from them. It's just like people in life - whether they're young or middle-aged or old, you always learn something from someone.
I don't see a lot of narratives written where a woman who looks like me gets to be beautiful and sexualized and upwardly mobile, middle-class, funny, quirky. They're very seldom written.
And that's what people want to see when they go to the theater. I believe at the end of the day, they want to see themselves - parts of their lives they can recognize. And I feel if I can achieve that, it's pretty spectacular.
There's no prerequisites to worthiness. You're born worthy, and I think that's a message a lot of women need to hear.
It is often said that New York is a city for only the very rich and the very poor. It is less often said that New York is also, at least for those of us who came there from somewhere else, a city for only the very young.
Worse than not realizing the dreams of your youth, would be to have been young and never dreamed at all.
He who starts behind in the great race of life must forever remain behind or run faster than the man in front.
My mom showed me how important it is to surround yourself with opportunities and make the most of them.
Had they known at these moments to be quietly joyful? Most likely not. People mostly did not know enough when they were living life that they were living it.
Life is always a tightrope or a feather bed. Give me the tightrope.
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