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
I think sometimes what people miss about black people is that we're complicated, that we are indeed messy, that we do our best with what we've been given. We come into the world exactly like you. It's just that there are circumstances in the culture that are dictated and put on our lives that we have to fight against.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the complexity and challenges faced by Black individuals due to cultural circumstances.
Viola Davis emphasizes that Black people, like all individuals, are multifaceted and navigate life with inherent complexities. She points out that societal factors and cultural constructs impose unique challenges on their experiences, but fundamentally, they share the same human essence as everyone else.
Themes
ComplexityCultureBlackHumanStruggleUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a talk about diversity and representation, this quote can illustrate the importance of acknowledging the complexities of different cultures.
More from Viola Davis
All quotes →What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting.
Viola DavisRead
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.
Viola DavisRead
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.
Viola DavisRead
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.
Viola DavisRead
There's no prerequisites to worthiness. You're born worthy, and I think that's a message a lot of women need to hear.
Viola DavisRead
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