Sidney Poitier Quotes

Powerful Sidney Poitier for Daily Growth

About Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier, born on February 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida, was an iconic actor, film director, and social advocate whose groundbreaking career spanned over six decades. Raised by Bahamian parents on Cat Island, Poitier moved to the United States at the age of 15 to pursue his dream of acting. His breakout role came in 1950 with "No Way Out," which marked the first major film appearance by a black actor in a non-stereotypical role. This performance earned Poitier an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, making him the first African American to be nominated in this category. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Poitier continued to challenge racial stereotypes with his portrayals in films such as "The Defiant Ones," "A Raisin in the Sun," "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," and "In the Heat of the Night." These roles earned him critical acclaim and cemented his status as a cultural icon. In addition to his acting career, Poitier also ventured into film directing with films like "Buck and the Preacher" and "Stir Crazy." He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974 and served as the Bahamian ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007. Poitier's influence extends beyond his on-screen roles. As a social activist, he used his platform to advocate for civil rights and racial equality. His quiet dignity and profound charisma made him a beacon of hope during the tumultuous times of the mid-20th century. Sidney Poitier's impact on Hollywood and society at large continues to resonate, with his timeless quotes serving as reminders of his wisdom and unwavering commitment to justice and equality: "The day you take care of others, treat them as they are, and demand the same from them in return is a good day," and "I am not a hero, simply someone who understands the assignment."

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The future ain't what it used to be."

This quote by Sidney Poitier suggests that the future is unpredictable and constantly changing, contrary to past assumptions or expectations. It encourages us to adapt and navigate our way through an ever-evolving world.

"If you define yourself by your past, then you will be forever a slave to it."

This quote by Sidney Poitier emphasizes the importance of not being bound by one's past experiences or mistakes. If an individual allows their past to dictate their identity and actions, they risk becoming trapped in a cycle that prevents growth and self-improvement. Instead, one should learn from their past, use it as a stepping stone for personal development, and move forward with resilience and determination, shaping their future rather than being defined by their past.

"I am an instrument in the hands of the Creator. I play the music that He writes through me. And I am happy."

Sidney Poitier's quote signifies his deep belief in a higher power, viewing himself as a tool or vessel for divine creativity. He suggests that he is merely an instrument through which this Creator expresses His will, or "plays the music," so to speak. By acknowledging this perspective, Poitier finds peace and happiness in life, understanding his purpose and role within the grand scheme of things.

"Always aspire to reach a little higher."

The quote "Always aspire to reach a little higher" by Sidney Poitier encourages continuous personal growth and improvement, suggesting that one should consistently strive for more than what they have already achieved or accomplished. It implies that setting goals slightly beyond our current abilities fosters resilience, determination, and a mindset focused on personal development, thus enabling us to unlock our full potential and make a positive impact in our lives and the world around us.

"We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread... They offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

This quote by Sidney Poitier highlights the profound resilience and agency inherent in the human spirit, particularly during adversity. It suggests that even when faced with immense hardship, as exemplified by those living in concentration camps, individuals retain one fundamental freedom: the ability to choose their attitude and how they respond to their circumstances. This choice empowers them to maintain hope, empathy, and humanity despite unimaginable struggles.

I lived in a country where I couldn't live where I wanted to live. I lived in a country where I couldn't go where I wanted to eat. I lived in a country where I couldn't get a job, except for those put aside for people of my colour or caste.

- Sidney Poitier

People, Country, Go, Caste

Jackie Robinson is a true legend.

- Sidney Poitier

True, Legend, Robinson, Jackie

I was not the kind of a principal player that was so in demand that eight or 10 or 12 scripts came per month.

- Sidney Poitier

Kind, Eight, Demand, Per

If I'm remembered for having done a few good things, and if my presence here has sparked some good energies, that's plenty.

- Sidney Poitier

Here, Some, Having, Energies

There is not racial or ethnic domination of hopelessness. It's everywhere.

- Sidney Poitier

Ethnic, Domination, Hopelessness

I was fortunate enough to have been raised to a certain point before I got into the race thing. I had other views of what a human is, so I was never able to see racism as the big question. Racism was horrendous, but there were other aspects to life.

- Sidney Poitier

Big, Other, Been, Big Question

I didn't run into racism until we moved to Nassau when I was ten and a half, but it was vastly different from the kind of horrendous oppression that black people in Miami were under when I moved there at 15. I found Florida an antihuman place.

- Sidney Poitier

Florida, Half, Moved, Vastly

We all suffer from the preoccupation that there exists... in the loved one, perfection.

- Sidney Poitier

Loved, Suffer, Loved One, Perfection

I wanted to look at them because I feel, internally, that I am an ordinary person who has had an extraordinary life.

- Sidney Poitier

Feel, Ordinary, Them, Ordinary Life

My father was a poor man, very poor in a British colonial possession where class and race were very important.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Race, Very, Colonial

I was the only Black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people.

- Sidney Poitier

Move, Set, Which, Tantamount

My father was a certain kind of man - I saw how he treated my mother and his family and how he treated strangers. And I vowed I would never make a film that would not reflect properly on my father's name.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Kind, Treated, Vowed

I don't very often read novels.

- Sidney Poitier

Often, Very, Read, Novels

So I'm OK with myself, with history, my work, who I am and who I was.

- Sidney Poitier

Work, Myself, I Am, OK

I'd seen my father. He was a poor man, and I watched him do astonishing things.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Him, Seen, Poor Man

I knew what it was to be uncomfortable in a movie theater watching unfolding on the screen images of myself - not me, but black people - that were uncomfortable.

- Sidney Poitier

Movie, Unfolding, Images, Movie Theater

I know how easy it is for one to stay well within moral, ethical, and legal bounds through the skillful use of words - and to thereby spin, sidestep, circumvent, or bend a truth completely out of shape. To that extent, we are all liars on numerous occasions.

- Sidney Poitier

Through, Extent, Numerous, Bounds

I have always been a learner because I knew nothing.

- Sidney Poitier

Always, Been, Knew, Learner

I cannot be understood in three minutes.

- Sidney Poitier

Three, Minutes, Cannot, Understood

A good deed here, a good deed there, a good thought here, a good comment there, all added up to my career in one way or another.

- Sidney Poitier

Thought, Career, Here, Comment

To be compared to Jackie Robinson is an enormous compliment, but I don't think it's necessarily deserved.

- Sidney Poitier

Think, Compliment, Robinson, Deserved

In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man.

- Sidney Poitier

Think, Been, I Think, Case

I was born two months early, and everyone had given up on me. But my mother insisted on my life.

- Sidney Poitier

My Life, Given, Months, Insisted

I was a gift to my mother. She was a remarkable person. God or nature, or whatever those forces are, smiled on her, then passed me the best of her.

- Sidney Poitier

Nature, Best, Gift, Smiled

If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back. I'd step back. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.

- Sidney Poitier

Back, Screen, Screenplay, Structure

My mother was the most amazing person. She taught me to be kind to other women. She believed in family. She was with my father from the first day they met. All that I am, she taught me.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Kind, Other, Believed

Generally, I tend to despise human behavior rather than human creatures.

- Sidney Poitier

Creatures, Rather, Tend, Human Behavior

As a man, I've been representative of the values I hold dear. And the values I hold dear are carryovers from the lives of my parents.

- Sidney Poitier

Values, Been, Lives, Representative

I couldn't adjust to the racism in Florida.

- Sidney Poitier

Racism, Florida, Adjust

I couldn't adjust to the racism in Florida. It was so blatant... I had never been so described as Florida described me.

- Sidney Poitier

Racism, Never, Blatant, Adjust

I come from a great family. I've seen family life and I know how wonderful, how nurturing, and how wonderful it can be.

- Sidney Poitier

Great, Wonderful, Come, Nurturing

My father was a tomato farmer. There is the phrase that says he or she worked their fingers to the bone, well, that's my dad. And he was a very good man.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Very, Dad, Good Man

I had learned something of Miami from people who had visited there, so I knew what to expect.

- Sidney Poitier

Miami, Expect, Learned, Visited

Far as I can tell, I still have most of my hair, my gut is not hanging over my belt, and I still have all of my teeth.

- Sidney Poitier

Over, Belt, Still, Hanging

I had two roles for which I compromised.

- Sidney Poitier

Had, Which, Roles, Compromised

Mine was an easy ride compared to Jackie Robinson's.

- Sidney Poitier

Mine, Robinson, Jackie, Compared

So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness.

- Sidney Poitier

Me, Determined, Pure, Randomness

An appreciable number of directors have shifted to lower-cost films, allowing them to be satisfied with a more modest return.

- Sidney Poitier

Satisfied, Number, Films, Return

So I had to be careful. I recognized the responsibility that, whether I liked it or not, I had to accept whatever the obligation was. That was to behave in a manner, to carry myself in such a professional way, as if there ever is a reflection, it's a positive one.

- Sidney Poitier

Recognized, Careful, Had, Obligation

To simply wake up every morning a better person than when I went to bed.

- Sidney Poitier

Morning, Better Person, Bed, Simply

My autobiography was simply the story of my life.

- Sidney Poitier

Life, My Life, Autobiography, Simply

If you apply reason and logic to this career of mine, you're not going to get very far. You simply won't.

- Sidney Poitier

Reason, Very, Mine, Logic

I sometimes like the pictures photographers take of me.

- Sidney Poitier

Sometimes, Like, Take, Photographers

I want my great-granddaughter to have a fairly good understanding of the world in which I lived for 81 years and also the world before I came into it - all the way back a hundred thousand years, to the beginning of our species.

- Sidney Poitier

Beginning, Before, Hundred, I Came

I never had an occasion to question color, therefore, I only saw myself as what I was... a human being.

- Sidney Poitier

Color, Human Being, Occasion, Therefore

I had chosen to use my work as a reflection of my values.

- Sidney Poitier

Work, Reflection, Use, Chosen

The impact of the black audience is expressing itself. They look to films to be more expressive of their needs, their lives. Hollywood has gotten that message - finally.

- Sidney Poitier

Audience, Needs, Films, Expressing

Since I couldn't actuate the things that I wanted to do, the only weapon I had was to say no.

- Sidney Poitier

Weapon, Things, Wanted, Since

I had to satisfy the action fans, the romantic fans, the intellectual fans. It was a terrific burden.

- Sidney Poitier

Romantic, Action, Satisfy, Terrific

I'll always be chasing you... Glory.

- Sidney Poitier

Glory, You, Always, Chasing

I did not go into the film business to be symbolized as someone else's vision of me.

- Sidney Poitier

Business, Vision, Someone, Film Business

I wouldn't change a single thing, because one change alters every moment that follows it.

- Sidney Poitier

Change, Single, Follows, Single Thing

But I always had the ability to say no. That's how I called my own shots.

- Sidney Poitier

How, Always, My Own, Ability

My father was the quintessential husband and dad.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Husband, Dad, Quintessential

I decided in my life that I would do nothing that did not reflect positively on my father's life.

- Sidney Poitier

Father's Day, Decided, Did

I am not a hugely religious person, but I believe that there is a oneness with everything. And because there is this oneness, it is possible that my mother is the principal reason for my life.

- Sidney Poitier

My Life, Religious, Hugely, Oneness

I get offered work these days.

- Sidney Poitier

Work, Days, Get, Offered

I'm not a library.

- Sidney Poitier

Library

But my dad also was a remarkable man, a good person, a principled individual, a man of integrity.

- Sidney Poitier

Integrity, Individual, Dad, Remarkable

So it's been kind of a long road, but it was a good journey altogether.

- Sidney Poitier

Journey, Long Road, Been, Altogether

I'm going to quit writing.

- Sidney Poitier

Writing, Going, Quit

I learned to hear silence. That's the kind of life I lived: simple. I learned to see things in people around me, in my mom, dad, brothers and sisters.

- Sidney Poitier

Kind, Brothers, Learned, Lived

History passes the final judgment.

- Sidney Poitier

History, Judgment, Final, Passes

The journey has been incredible from its beginning.

- Sidney Poitier

Journey, Beginning, Been, Incredible

When I set out to become an actor, I had set myself a standard.

- Sidney Poitier

Myself, Standard, Set, Actor

My wife collects knickknacks.

- Sidney Poitier

Wife

I'm a good person.

- Sidney Poitier

Good, Person, Good Person

I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.

- Sidney Poitier

Work, My Life, Wanted, Explore

I always wanted to be someone better the next day than I was the day before.

- Sidney Poitier

Better, Always, Wanted, Next

My father was very big on marriage.

- Sidney Poitier

Father, Big, Very, Marriage

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