My father was a certain kind of man - I saw how he treated my mother and his family and how he treated strangers. And I vowed I would never make a film that would not reflect properly on my father's name.
Mine was an easy ride compared to Jackie Robinson's.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote demonstrates the speaker's recognition of the significant challenges faced by Jackie Robinson compared to his own experiences.
Sidney Poitier acknowledges the immense difficulties and struggles that Jackie Robinson endured as a pioneer in breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. By stating that his own journey was an 'easy ride' in comparison, Poitier emphasizes the courage and resilience Robinson displayed in the face of adversity, highlighting the importance of acknowledging the struggles of others while reflecting on one's own path.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about civil rights icons, one might quote this to highlight the struggles faced by Jackie Robinson.
More from Sidney Poitier
All quotes βMy father was the quintessential husband and dad.
I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.
We suffer pain, we hang tight to hope, we nurture expectations, we are plagued occasionally by fears, we are haunted by defeats and unrealized hopes . . . The hoplessness of which I speak is not limited.
We're all imperfect, and life is simply a perpetual, unending struggle against those imperfections.
I was the only Black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people.
Similar quotes
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I do not have PTSD, but if I watch part of a movie like 'The Hurt Locker,' or when I spend time around Blackhawk helicopters, I will close my eyes that night and live an entire day in Iraq, flying my missions. I remember the smell and the feel and the heat and everything about it. Then I wake up in Illinois, and I'm exhausted.
The masses don't shed their blood for the benefit of a few individuals.
Until we have courage to recognize cruelty for what it is - whether its victim is human or animal - we cannot expect things to be much better in the world. There can be no double standard. We cannot have peace among men whose hearts find delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing, we set back the progress of humanity.
Those who criticize, they desire our blood not our pain. But still I must achieve I must seek truth in all things. I must endure for the power I was sent forth, for the world for the children. But have mercy, for I've been bleeding a long time now.
If you learn a martial art, you learn to be dangerous, but simultaneously, you learn to control it.