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
As I entered this world, I would leave behind the nurturing of my family and my home, but in another sense I would take their protection with me. The lessons I had learned, the feelings of groundedness and belonging that have been woven into my character there, would be my companions on the journey.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the balance between leaving one's family home and carrying the values learned from that environment.
Sidney Poitier's quote captures the essence of how one's upbringing and family values shape a person's identity. As one ventures out into the world, they may physically leave their home, but the emotional and moral lessons instilled by their family accompany them, providing a foundation of strength and belonging that they can draw upon throughout their life journey.
Themes
FamilyLessonsIdentityBelongingJourney
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth at a graduation ceremony.
More from Sidney Poitier
All quotes →My father was the quintessential husband and dad.
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I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.
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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.
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We're all imperfect, and life is simply a perpetual, unending struggle against those imperfections.
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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.
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