Ralph Ellison Quotes
Quotes to Explore
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I was taught from a very early age that I had to work twice as hard to get half as much. That was the world I grew up in - a very strong work ethic.
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I was a big 'Battlestar Galactica' fan and 'Star Trek' fan. I grew up watching those.
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On the day when I was shot, all of my friends' faces were covered, except mine.
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If you're in a dark place, you're there for a reason. And the only way to get through to those kids or to other people going through the same thing is really to meet them in that dark place and then slowly bring them to the light.
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Had I been injured on the freeway and not in combat, it is likely that I would be bankrupt even though I had medical insurance through my civilian employer.
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You can be revered for all sorts of qualities, but to be truly charismatic is rare. Elizabeth Taylor was, for me, one of those rarities.
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It may be a cold, clammy thing to say, but those that treat friendship the same as any other selfishness seem to get the most out of it.
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When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'
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In any work you do, you can be profound one minute, and then you be superficial the next, and you can be smart and insightful and then insipid. There can be room for all that.
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Shooting is very challenging because 10 metre air rifle you have different rules, short gun you have different rules.
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I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.
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The last thing you want to do when you are about to film a scene is think, 'Oh my God, so many people are going to watch this.'
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I have always said that often the religion you were born with becomes more important to you as you see the universality of truth.
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I keep wondering at night, 'Will I have a bank the next morning, or will some technology company be doing banking without needing a bank?'
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I have a free voice. I have a free mind. I have freedom of expression.
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I learned that if you're going to be a troublemaker, you don't want a ton of witnesses, because there's inevitable fallout from living like you're in 'Lord of the Flies.'
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What I love about film is that everybody often connects to something so different, and things you couldn't anticipate when you were making the film, so you just make it as honest as possible.
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I see many black males grasping for some thread of hope. There are so many destructive practices, glimpses into a psychic abyss. That must be very frightening.
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Athol Fugard became famous as a playwright, so although 'Tsotsi' the book was written in the '60s, it was only published in the '80s. It was then optioned pretty much every year by producers. I think the problem was that holding onto its period setting made it very hard to get finance.
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Never stray from life's purpose. Refrain from counting someone else's blessings instead of your own.
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When we take our eyes off the whirl of day-to-day activity and concentrate on honoring Him and following in His way, we find a consistent peace that carries us through both plenty and poverty.
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There are few things in the world as dangerous as sleepwalkers.
