Ossie Davis Quotes
We can't float through life. We can't be incidental or accidental. We must fix our gaze on a guiding star as soon as one comes upon the horizon and once we have attached ourselves to that star we must keep our eyes on it and our hands upon the plow. It is the consistency of the pursuit of the highest possible vision that you can find in front of you that gives you the constancy, that gives you the encouragement, that gives you the way to understand where you are and why it's important for you to do what you can do.
Quotes to Explore
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I know exactly what my values are and what I love to do. That's worth additional years right there. I say no to a lot of stuff that would be easy money but deviates from my meaning of life.
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When in life do you get a black and white printout that says this is what you should do? It just doesn't happen.
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It's much easier for me to make major life, multi-million dollar decisions, than it is to decide on a carpet for my front porch. That's the truth.
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The planet will survive. Whether we get to be here and enjoy it, or enjoy life as we've known it, is what's questionable.
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The world of fiction is a sovereign world that comes to life in the author's head and follows the rules of art, of literature. And that is the major difference that is reflected in the form of the work, in its language and its plot. An author invents every aspect of a fiction, every detail.
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The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.
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Readers of novels often fall into the bad habit of being overly exacting about the characters' moral flaws. They apply to these fictional beings standards that no one they know in real life could possibly meet.
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I gave up school. I gave up a really, really good job. I gave up a lot of stuff. I cut a lot of people out of my life so I could just focus on my fighting dreams.
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You gotta have life your way. If you ain't losing your mind, you ain't partying right.
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The wise man knows how to run his life so that contemplation is Possible.
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Most people figured I'd be in jail. I've been proving people wrong my whole life.
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It was just this interesting, my first, the first time you hear your child in any way criticise you. It's the worst review of your life and it's really relieving to find out that they don't know what they're saying.
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I suppose I flee to life. I'm most interested when conversations become difficult.
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Yes, I believe the will is very important. It's how I have succeeded in life.
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But I'm trying to play into this role as much as possible and be a nicer person in real life.
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Life would be very dreary if there were no magic. If the real world were only that veil of tears, I just don't think could get up in the morning.
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I work as if I were going to be the next person to need a respirator. I share in the benefits I bestow on others, and my work has enriched my life.
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I've always been aware of my health - when you are having to go on stage and perform, you need to be feeling good - but when I was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, I became really, really conscious of my health.
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You can sing only what you are. You can paint only what you are. You must be what your experiences, your environment, and your heredity have made you. For better or for worse, you must play your own little instrument in the orchestra of life.
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I still think it's really quite wonderful when I read a sentence of mine and it has that quality of lastingness.
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The belief that men don’t need help is part of the problem.
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I wanted to preserve the old buildings, not to destroy them and build something new.
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Don't be lazy. Learn your instrument and the kids should be learning that stuff. We have to get back to the musicianship of the music. It's called music, so at some point somebody has to learn how to play an instrument.
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We can't float through life. We can't be incidental or accidental. We must fix our gaze on a guiding star as soon as one comes upon the horizon and once we have attached ourselves to that star we must keep our eyes on it and our hands upon the plow. It is the consistency of the pursuit of the highest possible vision that you can find in front of you that gives you the constancy, that gives you the encouragement, that gives you the way to understand where you are and why it's important for you to do what you can do.
