170 Quotes by Sidney Poitier

Acting isn’t a game of “pretend.” It’s an exercise in being real.

We do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. We are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future.

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

History passes the final judgment.

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

We all have a capacity for love, for kindness, for passion. We also have a capacity for the opposite, but love is infinitely more effective in the world than hate, although they exist as equal opposites.

I don’t very often read novels.

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

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.