Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer. He has been described as an actor who reconfigured “the concept of classic movie stardom”, associating with characters defined by their grace, dignity, humanity, and inner strength. He has received seventeen NAACP Image Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for playing Union Army soldier Private Trip in the historical drama film Glory (1989), and Best Actor for his role as corrupt detective Alonzo Harris in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). In 2020, The New York Times ranked him as the greatest actor of the 21st century. These Denzel Washington quotes will motivate you in life to achieve success.
Best Denzel Washington Quotes
- “Put God first in everything you do … Everything that I have is by the grace of God, understand that. It’s a gift … I didn’t always stick with Him, but He stuck with me.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Don’t aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Goals on the road to achievement cannot be achieved without discipline and consistency.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “The chances you take… the people you meet… the people you love…the faith that you have – that’s what’s going to define your life.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“Be careful what you ask for because when you pray for rain, you have to deal with the mud as well.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about what you’ve done with those accomplishments. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It about what you’ve given back” (23).” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.” ~ Denzel Washington, Denzel Washington quotes about life
- “I pray that you all put your shoes way under the bed at night so that you gotta get on your knees in the morning to find them. And while you’re down there thank God for grace and mercy and understanding. We all fall short of the glory, we all got plenty.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“Do what you have to do, to do what you want to do.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “To protect the sheep, you gotta catch the wolf. And it takes a wolf to catch a wolf, you understand?” ~ Denzel Washington
- “You can’t break me because you didn’t make me.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Dreams without goals, are just dreams and they ultimately fuel disappointment.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “In marriage, if you’re a guy, learn two phrases. One is “yes, dear” and the other is “honey, you’re right.” Be patient. Be good friends first. And stick together. You gotta work at it. It’s not all a honeymoon, it’s not all flowers and roses, but if you’re friends and partners and committed, you’ll be okay. And everybody’s got advice for you – don’t listen.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Fall forward. Here’s what I mean: Reggie Jackson struck out 2,600 times in his career – the most in the history of baseball. But you don’t hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs. Fall forward. Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn’t either – because number 1,001 was the light bulb. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“If you don’t fail, you’re not even trying.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Writing is a weapon and it’s more powerful than a fist could ever be.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “There’s a book called “The Sociopath Next Door.” I thought most sociopaths were violent. In fact, they aren’t. But almost all sociopaths want to win, no matter what.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. … Now, I’ve been blessed to make hundreds of millions of dollars in my life. I can’t take it with me, and neither can you. It’s not how much you have but what you do with what you have.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “The Bible says “faith without works is nothing” so destiny is great, fate is great, faith is great – but you still have to work at it. I don’t just sit at home and wait for it all to unfold.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“We live in a time when people give up too easy.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That’s a part of it.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not?” ~ Denzel Washington
- “The greatest lesson I’ve learned in life is “Who knows what’s good or bad?” Things come along that you really want, and they turn out to be the worst thing in the world. And some of the worst tragedies that you can conceive turn out to be the best things, the exact medicine you need in that moment.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Just stick with your kids. There’s no set of rules on how to be a parent. No handbook. Just hang around your kids and ask them a lot of questions. You have to stay involved in your children’s lives and monitor everything they’re doing whether they like it or not. You’re not in the job of making them like it. You’re there to protect them in a world that can be troubling.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“Got to be who you are in this world, no matter what.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “I’m very proud to be black, but black is not all I am. That’s my cultural historical background, my genetic make-up, but it’s not all of who I am nor is it the basis from which I answer every question.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “My mother used to tell me man gives the award, God gives the reward. I don’t need another plaque.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “I made a commitment to completely cut out drinking and anything that might hamper me from getting my mind and body together. And the floodgates of goodness have opened upon me – spiritually and financially.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “True desire in the heart for anything good is God’s proof to you sent beforehand to indicate that it’s yours already.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“For me, success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Some said America took a step forward electing a black president. In light of the unconstitutional expansion of powers, lack of transparency and fueling the fires of unrest that clearly hasn’t been the case. Vote based on merits, not to fill a racial quota.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “The secret to a happy marriage? Do whatever your wife tells you. ‘Yes, dear.’ And breathe.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Success? I don’t know what that word means. I’m happy. But success, that goes back to what in somebody’s eyes success means. For me, success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me.” ~ Denzel Washington Quotes
- “I believe in God. I don’t fear man, I fear God.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Man gives you the award but God gives you the reward.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “It’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “If you want to be a warrior, you have to train.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “I’ve found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “My mother used to tell me: “You gotta smile more. Because if you don’t smile, the way you look at people, they’ll think you’re mad at them.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Thank God in advance for what’s already yours.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“My ultimate life dream project is my kids. My family.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “You never know how you’re going to affect people.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Hate, hatred for yourself, for other people, will confine you, but love can set you free.” ~ Denzel Washington, Denzel Washington quotes about love
- “So you never know who you touch. You never know how or when you’ll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else” (20).” ~ Denzel Washington
- “For whatever reason, God has blessed me with the ability, put me in a position to make these leaps and bounds. I’m fulfilling my part of the bargain, which is to give back and be a positive influence on others.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “What it taught me was forgiveness. It taught me that when people present themselves in a certain way, there’s probably some back story or issue or reason for the way that they are. It’s not you. It’s them. And a lot of times, its about something that’s completely out of their control” ~ Denzel Washington
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“Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Don’t be afraid to fail big, to dream big.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “We do what we have to so we can do what we want to.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Talent comes from God. If you have been given some, then value it, cultivate it, work and develop it.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “So the desire you have, that itch that you have to be whatever it is you want to be … that itch, that desire for good is God’s proof to you sent already to indicate that it’s yours. You already have it. Claim it.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “The poorest people are the sweetest people.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “I just try to be honest and true to the character and play the part.” ~ Denzel Washington
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“I’m a logic monster, if things don’t make sense I gotta make sense of them.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “I’ve always felt protected. That’s the God’s honest truth.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “My mother never gave up one me. I messed up in school so much they were sending me home, but my mother sent me right back.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Put God first in everything you do.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “I walk by faith, not by sight.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “Bad guys need love too.” ~ Denzel Washington
- “There’s always got to be room for what you might call benign corruption. Nobody blames a man who steals food to feed his starving children, but on the other hand, somebody who picks up a badge and takes an oath to serve and protect; we do expect a certain level of essential honesty.” ~ Denzel Washington
