“You know, be an actor because you love to act. Don't be an actor because you think you're going to get famous, because that's luck.”

“When you are kind to someone in trouble, you hope they'll remember and be kind to someone else. And it'll become like a wildfire.”

“I'm fighting the label of 'Black' actress simply because it's very limiting in people's eyes, especially people who are making movies.”

“I don't have pet peeves I have whole kennels of irritation.”

“I think the idea that you know who your inner self is on a daily basis, because... you know. What's good for you 25 years ago may not be good for you now. So, to keep in touch with that, I think that's the first ingredient for success. Because if you're a successful human being, everything else is gravy, I think.”

“We're born with success. It is only others who point out our failures, and what they attribute to us as failure.”