---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I…"
description: "\"Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I made a conscious decision to be more discerning because I thought to myself, 'After something like this, I rea..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg"
---

#  Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I made a conscious…

![“Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I made a conscious decision to be more discerning because I thought to myself, 'After something like this, I really have to try to be strong enough to turn stuff down.'” quote by Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg)

> “Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I made a conscious decision to be more discerning because I thought to myself, 'After something like this, I really have to try to be strong enough to turn stuff down.'”

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He decided to be selective after a powerful experience, aiming to protect himself from future overwhelm.

**In simple terms:** He chose to be more selective to stay strong.

Key Takeaway

Be selective to protect your well‑being.

Themes

self‑care boundaries personal growth

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice personal development

When to use this quote

- career choices
- relationships
- media consumption
- personal projects

Key Concepts

resilience decision‑making emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- What areas do you need stronger boundaries in?
- How can you balance discernment with openness?

A Different Perspective

Being overly selective can limit opportunities and growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conscious decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-decision/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/)

## Related quotes

> [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/)

[Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/)

> [I've never made a conscious decision to choose work over other considerations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/i-ve-never-made-a-conscious-decision-to-choose-work-over-other/)

[Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/)

> [My conscious decision has always been to do work that's meaningful and play characters that give something to the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huma-qureshi/my-conscious-decision-has-always-been-to-do-work-that-s-meaningful/)

[Huma Qureshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huma-qureshi/)

> [I made a conscious decision when I was writing that book to depict in real time how I treated it, and how I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-made-a-conscious-decision-when-i-was-writing-that-book-to-depict-in/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I made a conscious decision when I was recording 'Acoustic Soul' to - and this is one of my mantras - follow the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-made-a-conscious-decision-when-i-was-recording-acoustic-soul-to-and/)

[India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/)

> [“There are two decisions you need to make after you have accepted Jesus into your life. One: You need to make the decision to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corallie-buchanan/there-are-two-decisions-you-need-to-make-after-you-have-accepted/)

[Corallie Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corallie-buchanan/)

> [I've always wanted to write, I've always wanted to direct. The conscious decision was always to not be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levinson/i-ve-always-wanted-to-write-i-ve-always-wanted-to-direct-the/)

[Sam Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levinson/)

> [I made a conscious decision back then that I would rather be the best actress who ever lived than the most famous one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-kirkland/i-made-a-conscious-decision-back-then-that-i-would-rather-be-the-best/)

[Sally Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-kirkland/)

> [“Everything you could be is dependent upon you making a conscious decision to open up to this river of light within yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/everything-you-could-be-is-dependent-upon-you-making-a-conscious/)

[Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/)

> [It wasn't a conscious decision to pick only positive roles. Things just fell into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiten-tejwani/it-wasn-t-a-conscious-decision-to-pick-only-positive-roles-things/)

[Hiten Tejwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiten-tejwani/)

> [I have no major regrets. I've made the conscious decision not to look at life that way. I always try to learn something -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-anne-moss/i-have-no-major-regrets-i-ve-made-the-conscious-decision-not-to-look/)

[Carrie-Anne Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-anne-moss/)

> [The conscious decision, early on, was that I was going to live in New York. That was it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ivory/the-conscious-decision-early-on-was-that-i-was-going-to-live-in-new/)

[James Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ivory/)

> [It's a conscious decision to keep trying to do something new, to do things that excite me from my gut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupriya-goenka/it-s-a-conscious-decision-to-keep-trying-to-do-something-new-to-do/)

[Anupriya Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupriya-goenka/)

> [I've made this conscious decision to tell people on the street when I think they're wearing something great. If more people did that, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jensen/i-ve-made-this-conscious-decision-to-tell-people-on-the-street-when-i/)

[Ashley Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jensen/)

> [It's a conscious decision, a full-time job, to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerli/it-s-a-conscious-decision-a-full-time-job-to-be-happy/)

[Kerli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerli/)

## More by Bokeem Woodbine

> [I like roles that bring the unexpected. Roles that may challenge the way people think about things and perceive things. And I like roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/i-like-roles-that-bring-the-unexpected-roles-that-may-challenge-the/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

> [You can be a dynamic actor, but could never be a star if you never spend time with the media. That's something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/you-can-be-a-dynamic-actor-but-could-never-be-a-star-if-you-never/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

> [I typically don't get into predicting the success of my projects. I've been involved with a lot of projects that I thought should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/i-typically-don-t-get-into-predicting-the-success-of-my-projects-i-ve/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

> [Music is math; music is spiritual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/music-is-math-music-is-spiritual/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

> [It's not in my nature to chop people's heads off, per se, or rob a bank or any crazy thing I've done on screen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/it-s-not-in-my-nature-to-chop-people-s-heads-off-per-se-or-rob-a-bank/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

> [Acting is an opportunity for me to try to explore and examine and expose humanity's weaknesses that are intrinsic to our nature as humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/acting-is-an-opportunity-for-me-to-try-to-explore-and-examine-and/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

> [I was cocky and arrogant when I was younger. I thought that if I delivered a good performance, and put my best foot forward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/i-was-cocky-and-arrogant-when-i-was-younger-i-thought-that-if-i/)

[Bokeem Woodbine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

[Explore all 8 Bokeem Woodbine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/)

## More After quotes

> [At the drop of a hat, people will say there are no roles for women after 40. It's there with a bunch of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-nicol/at-the-drop-of-a-hat-people-will-say-there-are-no-roles-for-women/)

[Lesley Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-nicol/)

> [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/)

[Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/)

> [I was strictly after hits when it came down to the Jackson 5. That's all I was concerned with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deke-richards/i-was-strictly-after-hits-when-it-came-down-to-the-jackson-5-that-s/)

Deke Richards

> [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/)

[Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/)

> [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/)

[Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/)

> [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/)

[Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/)

> [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/)

[John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/)

> [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I have a lot of success and make a good living, but after while, you start going 'Why? Why are you doing all this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/i-have-a-lot-of-success-and-make-a-good-living-but-after-while-you/)

[Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/)

> [See to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-freeman-clarke/see-to-do-good-and-you-will-find-that-happiness-will-run-after-you/)

[James Freeman Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-freeman-clarke/)

> [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/)

[Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/)

> [Sometimes after a compliment about my characterization skills, I'm asked if I model my characters on real people. Emphatically, no. And sort of, yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/sometimes-after-a-compliment-about-my-characterization-skills-i-m/)

[Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/)

> [After The Wizard Of Oz I was typecast as a lion, and there aren't all that many parts for lions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-lahr/after-the-wizard-of-oz-i-was-typecast-as-a-lion-and-there-aren-t-all/)

Bert Lahr

> [I'm pretty cautious and not very athletic, so I've only had really dumb injuries, like sprained ankles and allergic reactions. I did have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-m-pretty-cautious-and-not-very-athletic-so-i-ve-only-had-really/)

[Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/)

> [I'd like an omelet named after me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-sewell/i-d-like-an-omelet-named-after-me/)

[Rufus Sewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-sewell/)

Browse all 3,411 After quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I made a conscious decision to be more discerning because I thought to myself, 'After something like this, I really have to try to be strong enough to turn stuff down.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bokeem Woodbine"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-made-a-conscious-decision-to-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "After"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-made-a-conscious-decision-to-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1dc/bokeem-woodbine-46361_after_right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-ma_943429.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came out, I made a conscious decision to be more discerning because I thought…” — Bokeem Woodbine",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bokeem Woodbine",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bokeem-woodbine/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Right around 2004 when 'Ray' came...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-made-a-conscious-decision-to-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bokeem-woodbine/right-around-2004-when-ray-came-out-i-made-a-conscious-decision-to-be/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
