Viola Davis

"Mediocrity is a choice. It's easier than striving for excellence, but it's still a choice."

"My mother told me: 'Don't expect anyone to give you anything in this life.'"

"Acting is just a vehicle for me to tell stories that matter to me."

"I want to be an actor who tells stories that heal people."

"You can't win an Emmy if you don't show up to the audition."

"I believe that how you do anything is how you do everything."

"Success for me isn't about fame or accolades. It's about purpose."

"The truth is, I'm tired of playing women who don't exist."

"Be audacious enough to be yourself."

"I think it's important that we give young women and young girls images of themselves that they can aspire to."

"Every single one of us has a gift, and we have a responsibility to use it."

"Motherhood has made me so vulnerable and so humbled."

"I want my children to look at me and see someone who is proud, strong, and unapologetic."

"The greatest privilege I have had is to be a mirror for humanity."

"I'm terrified all the time, but I do it anyway."

"You have to be willing to be uncomfortable to change."

"I never believed in the limits that society set for me."

"The work is the thing. The accolades are secondary."

"I want to create pathways for women who look like me."

"Your worth is not determined by your productivity."

"I choose to live in gratitude every single day."

"Pain is temporary, but quitting is permanent."

"I believe in the power of representation."

"Dreams don't have expiration dates."

"I refuse to dim my light to make anyone else comfortable."

"The moment you accept yourself is the moment you become free."

"Kindness is a superpower that costs nothing."

"I'm not interested in being perfect. I'm interested in being real."

"Education is the great equalizer."

"Your failures don't define you; your response to them does."