Denzel Washington

“That's where you can find things and modulate your performance and give the other actors something fresh to respond to. We've probably all worked with actors who when it's suddenly your close up, they get sleepy. I don't like that. It's selfish acting, and I won't tolerate it.”

“People tend to relax when they're off camera. That's when they should be working the hardest.”

“Dreams without goals, are just dreams and they ultimately fuel disappointment.”

“I know, as an actor, I don't like sharing everything with the director. And it's fine if they don't with me.”

“I don't concern myself with award. I'd been to the party enough times to know it really didn't matter.”

“Fall forward. Here's what I mean: Reggie Jackson struck out 2,600 times in his career - the most in the history of baseball. But you don't hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs. Fall forward. Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn't either - because number 1,001 was the light bulb. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.”

“The only reason I'm acting in films I direct is to get the money to make them, quite frankly, it's not what I'm interested in doing.”

“Don't get all sentimental on me, Makes me think I'm gonna die.”

“I have a new respect for filmmakers, that's for sure, 'cause it's not easy. If I'm allowed to, I'll be directing for the rest of my life. I love the process.”

“There's always got to be room for what you might call benign corruption. Nobody blames a man who steals food to feed his starving children, but on the other hand, somebody who picks up a badge and takes an oath to serve and protect; we do expect a certain level of essential honesty.”

“If you don't fail, you're not even trying.”

“It just happened that we did [Fences] seven years ago on Broadway. Scott Rudin brought me August Wilson's original screenplay for it, and I realized I hadn't read the play. So I read it. Then I realized that Troy (my character) was 53 - and I was 55 at the time. I realized I better hurry up! I might be too old!”

“If you take the time and put in the effort to write your own material and absolutely refuse to be denied the right to make your film it is difficult whatever colour you are.”

“Any good piece of material like Shakespeare ought to be open to reinterpretation.”

“I had the kid [on "Fences" ] who understudied me so I could stand back and think about shots so he had to learn the blocking and everything. I'd come in early sometimes, and they 'd be in there rehearsing and working on their stuff. I didn't want them to feel like, "Oh these are people who can't be touched." We're all working actors; we're all trying to get better.”

“When you make a movie it's always interesting, because you end up in places you never would as a normal visitor or tourist.”

“The time to worrying about flying is when you're on the ground. When you're up in the air, it's too late. No point in worrying about it then.”

“If I am a cup maker, I'm interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.”

“I love research and being educated. It's a great job being able to step into all kinds of professions and into other people's shoes.”

“Come on, I know bad acting when I hear it.”

“We live in a time when people give up too easy.”

“When I did A Soldier's Story, I was very young and green and thought I knew everything-now I know I know everything!”

“Say what you really want to say.”

“Success? I don't know what that word means. I'm happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody's eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That's a good day for me.”

“When you trust the director you want to trust his or her choices. I don't want to say, 'No, I don't like this girl or that guy," when the director really loves them. No, you want to go with what the director likes.”

“Acting, it's not my life, my children and my family, that's life. I'll get up every morning, God willing, for that.”

“In marriage, if you're a guy, learn two phrases. One is "yes, dear" and the other is "honey, you're right." Be patient. Be good friends first. And stick together. You gotta work at it. It's not all a honeymoon, it's not all flowers and roses, but if you're friends and partners and committed, you'll be okay. And everybody's got advice for you - don't listen.”

“Some said America took a step forward electing a black president. In light of the unconstitutiona l expansion of powers, lack of transparency and fueling the fires of unrest that clearly hasn't been the case. Vote based on merits, not to fill a racial quota.”

“I even asked [Saniyya Sidney] why she wanted to be an actor and she said, "I'm serious about this. These other little kids they want to play, and I don't have time for that."”

“One good thing about acting in film is that it's good therapy.”

“What it taught me was forgiveness. It taught me that when people present themselves in a certain way, there's probably some back story or issue or reason for the way that they are. It's not you. It's them. And a lot of times, its about something that's completely out of their control”

“Years ago, even prior to 9/11, I did a movie called "The Siege." I did a lot of research with the FBI and the CIA. And I was amazed at that time (I guess we might all know it now) how little information they shared with each other. So after that, I'm not surprised by anything.”

“We do what we have to so we can do what we want to.”

“I've worked with children all my life.”

“It was never my dream to be famous. I didn't start acting to be a movie star. I started in the theater and my desire was to get better at my craft. It's still my desire. I don't consider myself a movie star, nor do I really have the desire to be one. I'm just an entertainer. An actor who works hard at his craft. Whatever labels people give me, that's not really me or part of my process.”

“The secret to a happy marriage? Do whatever your wife tells you. 'Yes, dear.' And breathe.”

“I worked with Sidney Lumet years ago, and we had a long rehearsal process, and he would tape out the entire set on the stage, so I stole that from him.”

“We had a guy, a gentlemen by the name of Mr. Greenleaf who lived behind the house we were shooting [Fences], and he was like a part of the movie.He would come downstairs, and he couldn't hear well to say, "Ya'll want some coffee?"”

“Denzel Washington: I like the collaboration, I like seeing people do well, so I really plan to direct the rest of my days.”

“Don't aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.”

“So you never know who you touch. You never know how or when you'll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else" (20).”

“[Rose from "Fences"] couldn't just jump out there. Not just because of economic reasons but because how she was looked at in society at the time. There were a lot of factors that made you stay I guess.”

“There is nothing good or bad, except by comparison" (209) - "Effort is Everything" by Bud Selig”

“I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.”

“There's racism everywhere.”

“I played Othello, but I didn't sit around thinking how Laurence Olivier did it when he played it. That wouldn't do me any good.”

“Bad guys need love too.”

“We just had to stay out-of-the-way [in Fences]. [August Wilson] already wrote a masterpiece. And you really don't know how it's going to work until you get it in front of an audience.”

“Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do.”

“Cursed be the ground for our sake. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for us. For out of the ground we were taken, for the dust we are and to the dust we shall return.”