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.
Sidney PoitierRead
You don't have to become something you're not to be better than you were.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote encourages self-improvement without losing one's authentic self.
Sidney Poitier's quote emphasizes the importance of personal growth and self-acceptance. It suggests that to improve one's life and circumstances, one does not need to adopt a false persona or imitate others. Instead, the focus should be on enhancing one's true self and building upon existing strengths.
Themes
Self-ImprovementAuthenticityGrowthPersonal DevelopmentMotivational
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech at a personal development seminar.
More from Sidney Poitier
All quotes →My father was the quintessential husband and dad.
Sidney PoitierRead
I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.
Sidney PoitierRead
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.
Sidney PoitierRead
We're all imperfect, and life is simply a perpetual, unending struggle against those imperfections.
Sidney PoitierRead
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.
Sidney PoitierRead
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