I decided in my life that I would do nothing that did not reflect positively on my father's life.
I have always been a learner because I knew nothing.
A good deed here, a good deed there, a good thought here, a good comment there, all added up to my career in one way or another.
Okay listen, you think I'm so inconsequential? Then try this on for size. All those who see unworthiness when they look at me and are given thereby to denying me value - to you I say, I'm not talking about being AS GOOD as you. I hereby declare myself BETTER than you.
True 'joy' is the difference between just amusing ourselves to death and creating 'meaningful' pleasure.
So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness.
I had chosen to use my work as a reflection of my values.
I wouldn't change a single thing, because one change alters every moment that follows it.
Forgiveness works two ways, in most instances. People have to forgive themselves too. The powerful have to forgive themselves for their behavior. That should be a sacred process.
I'll always be chasing you... Glory.
There is not racial or ethnic domination of hopelessness. It's everywhere.
The older we get the less afraid we are.
Racism is very painful. That's life. It never ends.
I was fortunate enough to have been raised to a certain point before I got into the race thing. I had other views of what a human is, so I was never able to see racism as the big question. Racism was horrendous, but there were other aspects to life.
Every new fashion is a form of rebellion.
So it's been kind of a long road, but it was a good journey altogether.
If the image one holds of one's self contains elements that don't square with reality, one is best advised to let go of them, however difficult that may be.
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.
I was a gift to my mother. She was a remarkable person. God or nature, or whatever those forces are, smiled on her, then passed me the best of her.
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.
I couldn't adjust to the racism in Florida. It was so blatant... I had never been so described as Florida described me.
I'd seen my father. He was a poor man, and I watched him do astonishing things.
I find myself, at this time in my life, no less challenged, no less plagued, no less intrigued by what I still don't know.
My mother was the most amazing person. She taught me to be kind to other women. She believed in family. She was with my father from the first day they met. All that I am, she taught me.
My autobiography was simply the story of my life.
