--- title: "17 Way Quotes By Mahershala Ali" description: "17 Way quotes by Mahershala Ali. Plus more from Mahershala Ali and more Way sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/mahershala-ali-6687_accepting_i-never-wanted-to-accept-that-and-so-i-h_2758438.jpg" --- > [I never wanted to accept that. And so I have always fought against that in some way, shape or form and had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-never-wanted-to-accept-that-and-so-i-have-always-fought-against/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/mahershala-ali-6687_accepting_i-never-wanted-to-accept-that-and-so-i-h_2758438.jpg) > [I was always sort of ahead of myself in some way, shape or form and trying to envision how to get further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-was-always-sort-of-ahead-of-myself-in-some-way-shape-or-form-and/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddf/mahershala-ali-6687_agency_i-was-always-sort-of-ahead-of-myself-in_1435014.jpg) > [The freedom that I wanted as a kid would - probably would not have been good for me and not in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/the-freedom-that-i-wanted-as-a-kid-would-probably-would-not-have-been/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c8/mahershala-ali-6687_freedom_the-freedom-that-i-wanted-as-a-kid-would_1603869.jpg) > [I've personally been on the outside sometimes. But I was - I personally was never persecuted especially in the way in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-ve-personally-been-on-the-outside-sometimes-but-i-was-i-personally/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/mahershala-ali-6687_my-own_i-ve-personally-been-on-the-outside-some_2339994.jpg) > [What inspires me today is a desire to get closer to an understanding of what my artistic capacities are with the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/what-inspires-me-today-is-a-desire-to-get-closer-to-an-understanding/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/703/mahershala-ali-6687_art_what-inspires-me-today-is-a-desire-to-ge_1404004.jpg) > [I didn't have the passion for athletics in that way, that there were other parts of me that felt under-served and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-didn-t-have-the-passion-for-athletics-in-that-way-that-there-were/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/372/mahershala-ali-6687_athletics_i-didn-t-have-the-passion-for-athletics_658635.jpg) > [Theater will cast in a more open way; Denzel Washington might play Richard III. Television and film don't really cast openly like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-denzel-washington-might-play/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/mahershala-ali-6687_cinema_theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-den_563452.jpg) > [It was really a focus on how to in some ways keep moving in this direction towards something that allowed me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/it-was-really-a-focus-on-how-to-in-some-ways-keep-moving-in-this/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/mahershala-ali-6687_direction_it-was-really-a-focus-on-how-to-in-some_2713913.jpg) > [I wanted to get that scholarship to - a division one scholarship and play ball and go to school for free. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-wanted-to-get-that-scholarship-to-a-division-one-scholarship-and/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/mahershala-ali-6687_balls_i-wanted-to-get-that-scholarship-to-a-di_1795493.jpg) > [I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-could-be-with-my-mom-and-my/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/mahershala-ali-6687_certain_i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-coul_101793.jpg) > [Having a child is the polar opposite experience of the awards season experience. The awards-season experience requires you to be out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/having-a-child-is-the-polar-opposite-experience-of-the-awards-season/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/mahershala-ali-6687_awards_having-a-child-is-the-polar-opposite-exp_1482336.jpg) > [I think in some ways, I would go back home, and I didn't really quite fit in and couldn't - didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-in-some-ways-i-would-go-back-home-and-i-didn-t-really-quite/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/mahershala-ali-6687_back-home_i-think-in-some-ways-i-would-go-back-hom_480223.jpg) > [When it finally came my way and doors opened up for me to do it and to be on stage, it felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/when-it-finally-came-my-way-and-doors-opened-up-for-me-to-do-it-and/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/mahershala-ali-6687_actor_when-it-finally-came-my-way-and-doors-op_2515837.jpg) > [ I became more curious about the story behind the story \[in the House of Cards\]. So what was really going on behind… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-became-more-curious-about-the-story-behind-the-story-in-the-house/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/mahershala-ali-6687_back-when_i-became-more-curious-about-the-story-be_2456823.jpg) > [When we kind of get caught up in the minutiae, the details that make us all different, I think there's two ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/when-we-kind-of-get-caught-up-in-the-minutiae-the-details-that-make/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/mahershala-ali-6687_battle_when-we-kind-of-get-caught-up-in-the-min_3034351.jpg) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/mahershala-ali-6687_attention_i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with_3083.jpg) > [There was things just like not being able to date or - I'm talking like 15, 16 - like just certain things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/there-was-things-just-like-not-being-able-to-date-or-i-m-talking-like/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/mahershala-ali-6687_able_there-was-things-just-like-not-being-abl_2505288.jpg) ## Other authors on Way ## More by Mahershala Ali > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I grew up in church. My mom's a minister, and my grandmother was an ordained minister. I was always very mindful of the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-grew-up-in-church-my-mom-s-a-minister-and-my-grandmother-was-an/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [Like so many families, we were dealing with limited means. We weren't poor at all, but we had some challenging times financially. When my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/like-so-many-families-we-were-dealing-with-limited-means-we-weren-t/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in my dad's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-could-be-with-my-mom-and-my/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [My mother is an ordained minister. I'm a Muslim. She didn't do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted 17 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-mother-is-an-ordained-minister-i-m-a-muslim-she-didn-t-do/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting really interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-experiences-growing-up-my-father-lived-in-new-york-so-i-was-going/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I'm not shy about trying to find what truth there is in any genre, whether that be an action piece, a sci-fi piece, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-m-not-shy-about-trying-to-find-what-truth-there-is-in-any-genre/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [You are an American, so you're hurt that other American citizens have been hurt, but you end up having to shoulder the shame for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/you-are-an-american-so-you-re-hurt-that-other-american-citizens-have/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [My parents were in high school when I was born. My mom was 16, my dad was 17. They were kids, at the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-parents-were-in-high-school-when-i-was-born-my-mom-was-16-my-dad/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [Because on that watch list, they would be like, yeah, your name - they told me like, yeah, your name matches the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/because-on-that-watch-list-they-would-be-like-yeah-your-name-they/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I started traveling by myself as early as 5 to see my dad. I'd go to Toronto or Los Angeles, depending on what show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-started-traveling-by-myself-as-early-as-5-to-see-my-dad-i-d-go-to/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [One thing that the audience, and perhaps critics, aren't aware of is that, especially in a film like 'Moonlight,' you always shoot a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/one-thing-that-the-audience-and-perhaps-critics-aren-t-aware-of-is/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I think in some ways, I would go back home, and I didn't really quite fit in and couldn't - didn't have a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-in-some-ways-i-would-go-back-home-and-i-didn-t-really-quite/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [I remember clearly, when I was about 4, my Aunt Linda said, 'I'm not babysitting him no more. He's bad.' It was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-remember-clearly-when-i-was-about-4-my-aunt-linda-said-i-m-not/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [Theater will cast in a more open way; Denzel Washington might play Richard III. Television and film don't really cast openly like that. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-denzel-washington-might-play/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/mahershala-ali/#itemlist", "name": "17 Way Quotes By Mahershala Ali", "numberOfItems": 17, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never wanted to accept that. 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But I was - I personally was never persecuted especially in the way in which sharing my own experiences.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-ve-personally-been-on-the-outside-sometimes-but-i-was-i-personally/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/mahershala-ali-6687_my-own_i-ve-personally-been-on-the-outside-some_2339994.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/mahershala-ali-6687_my-own_i-ve-personally-been-on-the-outside-some_2339994.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/mahershala-ali-6687_my-own_i-ve-personally-been-on-the-outside-some_2339994.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've personally been on the outside sometimes. 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Television and film don't really cast openly like that. The theater world has always been a leader in diversity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-denzel-washington-might-play/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/mahershala-ali-6687_cinema_theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-den_563452.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/mahershala-ali-6687_cinema_theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-den_563452.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9d/mahershala-ali-6687_cinema_theater-will-cast-in-a-more-open-way-den_563452.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Theater will cast in a more open way; Denzel Washington might play Richard III. Television and film don't…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was really a focus on how to in some ways keep moving in this direction towards something that allowed me to express myself in a way that sports didn't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/it-was-really-a-focus-on-how-to-in-some-ways-keep-moving-in-this/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/mahershala-ali-6687_direction_it-was-really-a-focus-on-how-to-in-some_2713913.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/mahershala-ali-6687_direction_it-was-really-a-focus-on-how-to-in-some_2713913.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/365/mahershala-ali-6687_direction_it-was-really-a-focus-on-how-to-in-some_2713913.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was really a focus on how to in some ways keep moving in this direction towards something that allowed me…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to get that scholarship to - a division one scholarship and play ball and go to school for free. And that, to me, was - I was always about getting to that next step. If I could get to that next place, then I could figure out essentially what to do with being in that space and how to manage my time and handle those - handle all the benefits of being in that space in a way that would get me to the next place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-wanted-to-get-that-scholarship-to-a-division-one-scholarship-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/mahershala-ali-6687_balls_i-wanted-to-get-that-scholarship-to-a-di_1795493.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/mahershala-ali-6687_balls_i-wanted-to-get-that-scholarship-to-a-di_1795493.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/mahershala-ali-6687_balls_i-wanted-to-get-that-scholarship-to-a-di_1795493.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wanted to get that scholarship to - a division one scholarship and play ball and go to school for free…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in my dad's existence that I enjoyed when I was around him, though the responsibility was just different. He expected me to carry myself a certain way without all the rules and confines.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-could-be-with-my-mom-and-my/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/mahershala-ali-6687_certain_i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-coul_101793.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/mahershala-ali-6687_certain_i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-coul_101793.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42a/mahershala-ali-6687_certain_i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-coul_101793.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Having a child is the polar opposite experience of the awards season experience. The awards-season experience requires you to be out in the community, in the heart of the community, at the nucleus of the film community in a really committed way for about a six-month period of time. Having a child requires you to nest, to be in your home, and to create and make your home and environment that is one that is potentially very welcoming and nurturing for a child.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/having-a-child-is-the-polar-opposite-experience-of-the-awards-season/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/mahershala-ali-6687_awards_having-a-child-is-the-polar-opposite-exp_1482336.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/mahershala-ali-6687_awards_having-a-child-is-the-polar-opposite-exp_1482336.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36e/mahershala-ali-6687_awards_having-a-child-is-the-polar-opposite-exp_1482336.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Having a child is the polar opposite experience of the awards season experience. 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And it just so happened to speak to me. I really couldn't do what I needed to do in the most fulfilling way in Hayward, Calif., or in the Bay Area, that it required me to go off to NYU.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/when-it-finally-came-my-way-and-doors-opened-up-for-me-to-do-it-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/mahershala-ali-6687_actor_when-it-finally-came-my-way-and-doors-op_2515837.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/mahershala-ali-6687_actor_when-it-finally-came-my-way-and-doors-op_2515837.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7b/mahershala-ali-6687_actor_when-it-finally-came-my-way-and-doors-op_2515837.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When it finally came my way and doors opened up for me to do it and to be on stage, it felt like a natural…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I became more curious about the story behind the story [in the House of Cards]. So what was really going on behind the headline? And it's a little bit sad that that show, it doesn't seem so much like entertainment the way it did back when we started doing it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-became-more-curious-about-the-story-behind-the-story-in-the-house/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/mahershala-ali-6687_back-when_i-became-more-curious-about-the-story-be_2456823.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/mahershala-ali-6687_back-when_i-became-more-curious-about-the-story-be_2456823.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/mahershala-ali-6687_back-when_i-became-more-curious-about-the-story-be_2456823.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I became more curious about the story behind the story [in the House of Cards]. So what was really going on…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we kind of get caught up in the minutiae, the details that make us all different, I think there's two ways of seeing that. There's an opportunity to see the texture of that person, the characteristics that make them unique. And then there's an opportunity to go to war about it and to say that that person is different from me and I don't like you, so let's battle.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/when-we-kind-of-get-caught-up-in-the-minutiae-the-details-that-make/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/mahershala-ali-6687_battle_when-we-kind-of-get-caught-up-in-the-min_3034351.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/mahershala-ali-6687_battle_when-we-kind-of-get-caught-up-in-the-min_3034351.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/901/mahershala-ali-6687_battle_when-we-kind-of-get-caught-up-in-the-min_3034351.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we kind of get caught up in the minutiae, the details that make us all different, I think there's two…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and I just had such a strong reaction to the prayer. And I was really emotionally - I felt really grounded at that time. And so to be in this prayer and the imam is doing the prayer in Arabic and I don't understand a word of Arabic but I just remember these tears just coming down my face and it just really connecting to my spirit in a way that felt like I needed to pay attention to that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/mahershala-ali-6687_attention_i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with_3083.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/mahershala-ali-6687_attention_i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with_3083.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d31/mahershala-ali-6687_attention_i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with_3083.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 17, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was things just like not being able to date or - I'm talking like 15, 16 - like just certain things that my friends started to do. Like, they started to get phone calls from girls or like, you know, go and hang out 10, 11 at night, kind of going to the movies. There were just certain things that - it's not that I couldn't do all of those things. It's just that every choice was really deliberate and conscious and thought out and sort of balanced against the religion in a way where I felt - I wasn't necessarily trying to convert at 12 like [my mother] was.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mahershala Ali" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/there-was-things-just-like-not-being-able-to-date-or-i-m-talking-like/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/mahershala-ali-6687_able_there-was-things-just-like-not-being-abl_2505288.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/mahershala-ali-6687_able_there-was-things-just-like-not-being-abl_2505288.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/983/mahershala-ali-6687_able_there-was-things-just-like-not-being-abl_2505288.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was things just like not being able to date or - I'm talking like 15, 16 - like just certain things…” — Mahershala Ali", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/mahershala-ali/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/mahershala-ali/", "name": "Way Quotes by Mahershala Ali", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/mahershala-ali/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/mahershala-ali-6687_accepting_i-never-wanted-to-accept-that-and-so-i-h_2758438.jpg" }, "description": "17 Way quotes by Mahershala Ali. 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