--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My whole thing is, I've got to be as…" description: "\"My whole thing is, I've got to be as good, as courageous as what's written on the page.\" — Viola Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png" --- # My whole thing is, I've got to be as good, as courageous… ![“My whole thing is, I've got to be as good, as courageous as what's written on the page.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png) > “My whole thing is, I've got to be as good, as courageous as what's written on the page.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She emphasizes matching one's performance to the high standards set by the script, demanding courage and excellence. **In simple terms:** Match your effort to the script's demands. Key Takeaway Aim for excellence and bravery. Themes courage performance excellence Mood determined inspired Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - audition prep - stage performance - film roles - personal growth Key Concepts acting self‑expectation Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure courage in your craft? - What supports help you meet high standards? A Different Perspective Great work also needs talent and opportunity, not just courage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) ## Related quotes > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Honesty, vulnerability and a good amount of courageous faith allows you to cry out in your bewilderment and not lose your belief in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/honesty-vulnerability-and-a-good-amount-of-courageous-faith-allows/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [It's just a matter of me opening up the page and whatever is written on the page, that's what I'm here to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-anderson/it-s-just-a-matter-of-me-opening-up-the-page-and-whatever-is-written/) [Anthony Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-anderson/) > [I wonder sometimes if I've got in the habit of only being courageous when someone else has written the words I have to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-waterston/i-wonder-sometimes-if-i-ve-got-in-the-habit-of-only-being-courageous/) [Katherine Waterston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-waterston/) > [“But should it matter what we do as long as we use our strength courageously and lead a life without desperation to the end?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annemarie-schwarzenbach/but-should-it-matter-what-we-do-as-long-as-we-use-our-strength/) [Annemarie Schwarzenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annemarie-schwarzenbach/) > [“The writer's voice, the honesty and candor that is present in that voice, is what must be written upon the page.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/the-writer-s-voice-the-honesty-and-candor-that-is-present-in-that/) [Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/) > [I find the name of Jesus Christ written on the top of every page of modern history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bancroft/i-find-the-name-of-jesus-christ-written-on-the-top-of-every-page-of/) [George Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bancroft/) > [It has always been on the written page that the world has come into focus for me. If I can piece all these bits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/it-has-always-been-on-the-written-page-that-the-world-has-come-into-2/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [It has always been on the written page that the world has come into focus for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/it-has-always-been-on-the-written-page-that-the-world-has-come-into/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [“I don’t want to accept an idea of life where the success of the self is measured by the success of the written page.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-ferrante/i-don-t-want-to-accept-an-idea-of-life-where-the-success-of-the-self/) [Elena Ferrante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-ferrante/) > [The enemy is not the badly written page; it is the empty page the great advantage of a badly written page is that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-hallinan/the-enemy-is-not-the-badly-written-page-it-is-the-empty-page-the/) [Timothy Hallinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-hallinan/) > [“As I stare at the blank page, I am at once awash inwords but unable to find the ones I want to use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ryan/as-i-stare-at-the-blank-page-i-am-at-once-awash-inwords-but-unable-to/) [Carrie Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ryan/) > [Having been a 'Page 3' model I know what is it like to be singled out as one thing, to be dismissed as unintelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hazell/having-been-a-page-3-model-i-know-what-is-it-like-to-be-singled-out/) [Keeley Hazell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hazell/) > [I have a Twitter account; I have a fantastic Facebook page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-king/i-have-a-twitter-account-i-have-a-fantastic-facebook-page/) [Angus King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-king/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More Courageous quotes > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [“Fate and future both are servant to the determined, for they are nothing but creation of human determination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/fate-and-future-both-are-servant-to-the-determined-for-they-are/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [I love awards, especially if I get them. It's up to the courage of the filmmakers to make art in cinema, not just business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gazzara/i-love-awards-especially-if-i-get-them-it-s-up-to-the-courage-of-the/) [Ben Gazzara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gazzara/) > [Courageous dreaming allows you to create from the source, the quantum soup of the universe where everything exists in a latent or potential state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/courageous-dreaming-allows-you-to-create-from-the-source-the-quantum/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [Change of any sort requires courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/change-of-any-sort-requires-courage/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [The more creative you are the more trouble you're in. You have to be courageous!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/the-more-creative-you-are-the-more-trouble-you-re-in-you-have-to-be/) [George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [“Fighting can be like champagne. It can go to the head of a coward as quickly as of a hero. Anyone has the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/fighting-can-be-like-champagne-it-can-go-to-the-head-of-a-coward-as/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [Clarence Darrow was a unique and courageous man. Several of my favourite actors have played Darrow... Henry Fonda, Orson Welles and Spencer Tracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/clarence-darrow-was-a-unique-and-courageous-man-several-of-my/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [There should be a burnished tablet let into the ground on the spot where some courageous man first ate Stilton cheese, and survived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-should-be-a-burnished-tablet-let-into-the-ground-on-the-spot/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a person life has always been a bit of a challenge for me and I have spent so much of my early years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-sudol/as-a-person-life-has-always-been-a-bit-of-a-challenge-for-me-and-i/) [Alison Sudol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-sudol/) > [Now is the time to take stock of a painful part of our history. Only then can we move past it. Anything less would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-bellegarde/now-is-the-time-to-take-stock-of-a-painful-part-of-our-history-only/) [Perry Bellegarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-bellegarde/) > [Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/courageous-people-do-not-fear-forgiving-for-the-sake-of-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Browse all 1,039 Courageous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My whole thing is, I've got to be as good, as courageous as what's written on the page.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good-as-courageous-as-what-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Courageous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good-as-courageous-as-what-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/viola-davis-1174_courageous_my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good_1007426.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My whole thing is, I've got to be as good, as courageous as what's written on the page.” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My whole thing is, I've got...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good-as-courageous-as-what-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/my-whole-thing-is-i-ve-got-to-be-as-good-as-courageous-as-what-s/#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 } } ] } ```