Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. Denzel Washington Denzel Washington on Failures March 20, 2015 Source: University of Pennsylvania, 2011
Being myself. Not paying attention when people say you’re great and not paying attention when people say you’re horrible. Wendy Williams
In general, I do not like giving speeches. Giving a speech requires standing in front of large groups of people while they look at you and it also requires talking. I can do the standing part OK. But the you looking and the me talking ... I am not a fan. Shonda Rhimes
Because here’s the thing -- the road ahead is not going to be easy. It never is, especially for folks like you and me. Because while we’ve come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems are stubborn and they haven’t fully gone away. First Lady Michelle Obama
I believe that a world of greater freedom and tolerance is not only a moral imperative; it also helps keep us safe. President Barack Obama
Please reject the slander that says a black child with a book is trying to act white. In short, be an example of excellence for the next generation. Michelle Obama
The only freedom you will probably ever know, you have begun to know now, here, the freedom to think, to imagine, to reform, to change—to start by changing yourselves and those areas around you with which you do not agree. Maya Angelou
One thing I learned at school was the value of failure, because once you fail you can get up and do it again. Lupita Nyong’o
I don’t want to be good at it, I don’t want to be pretty good at it, I want to be world class at it. Chris Gardner
I’m going to speak to you about love and the courage to love, indeed, about courage itself. It is the most important of all the virtues because without courage you cannot be sure that you can practice any other virtue with consistency. So it is important to develop courage, the courage to love in an era, in a time, when love is almost synonymous with distrust, abuse, misuse and, in fact, negligence. In order to love, I mean erotic love, agape love, familial love, platonic love, consistently, you must care first about yourselves because in order to say one loves someone else and act upon that love, one must really love one’s self. Maya Angelou
The moment anyone tries to demean or degrade you in any way, you have to know how great you are. Nobody would bother to beat you down if you were not a threat. Cicely Tyson
Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change. Shonda Rhimes
With physical failures like liver, kidneys, heart, something else has to be done, something fixable that’s not in one’s own hands. But if it’s in your hands, then you have to pay very close attention to it, rather than get depressed or unnerved or feel ashamed. None of that is useful. Toni Morrison
I’m sure in your experiences—in school…in applying to college…in picking your major…in deciding what you want to do with life—people have told you to make sure you have something to “fall back on.” But I’ve never understood that concept, having something to fall back on. If I’m going to fall, I don’t want to fall back on anything, except my faith. I want to fall… forward. At least I figure that way I’ll see what I’m about to hit. Denzel Washington
There will be times you are challenged and tested. Understand and try to find the meaning of why you were placed in that situation. The situation is not the tragedy; the tragedy is not finding the time to face the meaning. Robin Roberts
First… you will fail at some point in your life. Accept it. You will lose. You will embarrass yourself. You will suck at something. There is no doubt about it. That’s probably not a traditional message for a graduation ceremony. But, hey, I’m telling you—embrace it. Because it’s inevitable. Denzel Washington
They tell you: Follow your dreams. Listen to your spirit. Change the world. Make your mark. Find your inner voice and make it sing. Embrace failure. Dream. Dream and dream big. As a matter of fact, dream and don't stop dreaming until all of your dreams come true. I think that's crap. Shonda Rhimes
We thought we could just throw people at it, throw money at advertising, [but it] didn't move the needle. It was just us lying to ourselves. Daymond John
Stay on it, stay strong on your path. Many will say no, and that’s okay cause all it takes is that one yes. After that it will all start happening. You can’t give up. Don’t compare your acting life with others. We all mature as actors on different times and levels. Go after your dreams with all you’ve got and then some, because success is waiting for YOU, just around the corner. Anthony Anderson
So we mustn't run out of steam. Sometimes young women think ‘Dammnnn, I’ve been doing this nine years and I don’t think anything has budged.' But keep plugging away. Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success and then just get a little more. Maya Angelou
I’ve come to learn in my life that failure’s a wonderful teacher. I’ve scooped a lot of the dog poop off the sidewalk so you wouldn’t have to step in it. Steve Harvey
I recognize failure—which is important; some people don’t—and fix it, because it is data, it is information, knowledge of what does not work. Toni Morrison
