I imagine it was much different in the 1970s. That was the Renaissance for black actors, albeit in blaxploitation movies. There was a much greater preponderance of work then than there is now.

I want to see somebody go to jail over the financial crisis and not just black, brown and poor whites over humbles and minor drug beefs.

I think it’s intoxicating when somebody is so unapologetically who they are.

I understand what's it like to work all week and on Friday night just want to go and leave your brain at the door, buy some popcorn and be thrilled by something.

Every time I've learned something, I've realized there are a hundred more things I don't know about the thing I just learned.

Living by example - that's always a better teacher than trying to preach.

Speak up when you're supposed to, as opposed to trying to write prescriptions for the way people should live.

It's important to keep the people who know you well around you. It helps center you.

We're really trying to give people the ability to go into a darkened room and have a couple hours of just pure enjoyment.

When I'm the person in front of the microphone, and I'm the person in the light, I want to reflect and refract the light onto places where they need the attention, where I don't need it.

If you look up and no one who's around you has been around you for the past 20 years, and they're all new people, I think that's a problem.

I have principles and I am not going to be forced to compromise them.

God wants a child's heart and a grownup's head.

I think we have two very important missions in life. One is to find out who we really are and the other one is to taste as much of life and experience as much of life as we can.

At the heart of leadership is the leader's relationship with followers. People will entrust their hopes and dreams to another person only if they think the other is a reliable vessel.

I really appreciate an actor who has paid their dues and who has learned hard knocks and has been rewarded in the end.

Our industry [classic music] has kind of retarded into this kind of endless cover-producing thing, and it's a pity.

True fans can't ruin shows.

Customer service is just a day-in, day-out ongoing, never-ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate, type of activity.

If it's painful, you become willing not just to endure it but also to let it awaken your heart and soften you. You learn to embrace it.

If I die tomorrow the world is in great hands. In a much better hands than mine.