I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
When you see a parent pass, and you literally are there, and you're sitting at that deathbed, man, and you have to… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I stumbled onto the best profession to heal my childhood: the only one that lets you release and express whatever is ugly… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
Do not live someone else's life and someone else's idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you. Womanhood is everything that's inside… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I was like, 'What is this?' Until I found out it was stress related. That's how I internalized it. I don't do… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
When a character has so many secrets and so much inner life, it's a joy to play those characters because you can… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
When you're really passionate, you're going to grab hold of every rope you see, and wrap them around your arms and legs… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
Ultimately, it's not your job, as an actress, to satisfy people's expectations or image of who you should be. Even in your… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
Turning 50 is making me reflect on my life in a way that's more compassionate and forgiving. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
The world is very good at encouraging you to go along with the status quo and at basking in your successes. But… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
When you pray, God puts people in your life to lead you when you cannot lead yourself. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
At the end of the day, nobody can tell you how to tackle failure or how to handle change. The world is… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I would love to be remembered as a person who used her life to inspire others in any way, shape or form. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
What excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
My grandmom worked as a maid for most of her life, and she worked in the tobacco and the cotton fields, whatever… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I've been in this business 25 years. I've been eking out a living doing Broadway, off-Broadway... I've seen the unemployment line a lot. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
They say the two most important days in a persons life were the day you were born and the day you discover… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
The reason I became an actress is because I wanted my acting to reflect life as it is. I want to put… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
Your job as an actor is to piece together whatever you've learned in your training, or whatever you have experienced in your… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I'm sorry, if you've been married for five minutes, you've sacrificed something, you've looked over at your partner and have gone, "Oh… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
You can't be perceived as 'the black actress who doesn't get the same kind of roles as the white actress.' You gotta… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I would like to say that I'm a walking poster board for feminism and women's liberation, but there are things that I… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I don't care if someone is new to acting or experienced in acting: you always learn something from them. It's just like… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I think that's why August [Wilson] named her Rose [in "Fences"]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'… — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image
That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am. — Viola Davis Copy Share Image