Mahershala Ali Quotes

Quotes about:

• I always hope to be a better person tomorrow than today.

  Mahershala Ali

  Today, Tomorrow, Better Person

  "Mahershala Ali: the 'free state of Jones'". Interview with Sam Williams, www.eurweb.com. June 24, 2016.

  16 Copy quote

• Hold tight to the mentality of being a student, meaning hold on to curiosity and approach life as a student.

  Mahershala Ali

  Curiosity, Students, Approach

  "Mahershala Ali: the 'free state of Jones'". Interview with Sam Williams, www.eurweb.com. June 24, 2016.

  17 Copy quote

• To really be conscious of how long the journey is, be patient, push yourself, persevere and always be working on your craft while waiting for your break.

  Mahershala Ali

  Journey, Long, Waiting

  "Mahershala Ali: the 'free state of Jones'". Interview with Sam Williams, www.eurweb.com. June 24, 2016.

  18 Copy quote

• The people that I admire have a wonderful balance of self-belief and humility.

  Mahershala Ali

  Humility, Self, People

  "Mahershala Ali: the 'free state of Jones'". Interview with Sam Williams, www.eurweb.com. June 24, 2016.

  18 Copy quote

• At the end of the day we're all spirits having a physical experience.

  Mahershala Ali

  Spirit

  "Hip-Hop Radio DJs Stretch And Bobbito Return To The Airwaves With NPR Podcast". "All Things Considered", www.npr.org. July 19, 2017.

  8 Copy quote

• What inspires me today is a desire to get closer to an understanding of what my artistic capacities are with the hope of organically sharing my gifts with an audience in the most heightened way I possibly can.

  Mahershala Ali

  Understanding, Inspire, Desire

  "Mahershala Ali: the 'free state of Jones'". Interview with Sam Williams, www.eurweb.com. June 24, 2016.

  12 Copy quote

• At the end of the day we're all spirits having a physical experience. That really comes from my relationship with Islam because it just makes me really conscious of my action.

  Mahershala Ali

  Islam, Spirit, Action

  Source: www.npr.org

  8 Copy quote

• When we kind of get caught up in the minutiae, the details that make us all different, I think there's two ways of seeing that. There's an opportunity to see the texture of that person, the characteristics that make them unique. And then there's an opportunity to go to war about it and to say that that person is different from me and I don't like you, so let's battle.

  Mahershala Ali

  War, Thinking, Unique

  "In 'Moonlight,' Actor Mahershala Ali Found Characters He Recognized". "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross, www.npr.org. February 16, 2017.

  4 Copy quote

• I think what I've learned from working on "Moonlight" is we see what happens when you persecute people. They fold into themselves.

  Mahershala Ali

  Thinking, People, I've Learned

  "In 'Moonlight,' Actor Mahershala Ali Found Characters He Recognized". "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross, www.npr.org. February 16, 2017.

  9 Copy quote

• I think my mom gave me the borders, the - gave me a very clear understanding of what the perimeter was. And I had to find my fun within those boundaries.

  Mahershala Ali

  Mom, Fun, Thinking

  "In 'Moonlight,' Actor Mahershala Ali Found Characters He Recognized". "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross, www.npr.org. February 16, 2017.

  7 Copy quote

• My mother is an ordained minister. I'm a Muslim. She didn't do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted 17 years ago. But I tell you now, we put things to the side, and I was able to - I'm able to see her. She's able to see me. We love each other.

  Mahershala Ali

  Mother, Years, Able

  "In 'Moonlight,' Actor Mahershala Ali Found Characters He Recognized". "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross, www.npr.org. February 16, 2017.

  4 Copy quote

• I feel like [terrorism] acts are un-Islamic. So to see that happen and somebody do that in the name of God, it just - and the religion that you practice, it just - it hurts your heart so deeply because it's such a misrepresentation of the faith.

  Mahershala Ali

  Hurt, Islamic, Heart

  Source: www.npr.org

  10 Copy quote

• I was always sort of ahead of myself in some way, shape or form and trying to envision how to get further along and closer to fulfilling that dream of being of being free and having a creative agency, so to speak.

  Mahershala Ali

  Dream, Agency, Creative

  Source: www.npr.org

  7 Copy quote

• Gay, straight - whatever - adolescents in high school and coming out of junior high, that's such a difficult, awkward period and kids can be so cruel and mean.

  Mahershala Ali

  School, Mean, Kids

  Source: www.interviewmagazine.com

  4 Copy quote

• Because on that watch list, they would be like, yeah, your name - they told me like, yeah, your name matches the name of a terrorist or someone that they're watching. I was just like, what terrorist is running around with a Hebrew first name and a Muslim - Arabic last - I'm like, who's that guy?

  Mahershala Ali

  Running, Names, Guy

  Source: www.npr.org

  5 Copy quote

• I grew up in church. My mom's a minister, and my grandmother was an ordained minister. I was always very mindful of the presence of a greater being I call God.

  Mahershala Ali

  Mom, Grandmother, Church

  "Mahershala Ali: the 'free state of Jones'". Interview with Sam Williams, www.eurweb.com. June 24, 2016.

  4 Copy quote

• I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and I just had such a strong reaction to the prayer. And I was really emotionally - I felt really grounded at that time. And so to be in this prayer and the imam is doing the prayer in Arabic and I don't understand a word of Arabic but I just remember these tears just coming down my face and it just really connecting to my spirit in a way that felt like I needed to pay attention to that.

  Mahershala Ali

  Strong, Prayer, Philadelphia

  Source: www.npr.org

  4 Copy quote

• Having a child is the polar opposite experience of the awards season experience. The awards-season experience requires you to be out in the community, in the heart of the community, at the nucleus of the film community in a really committed way for about a six-month period of time. Having a child requires you to nest, to be in your home, and to create and make your home and environment that is one that is potentially very welcoming and nurturing for a child.

  Mahershala Ali

  Children, Home, Heart

  "New spotlight, new baby for Oscars-bound Mahershala Ali". Associated Press Interview, www.dailymail.co.uk. February 17, 2017.

  4 Copy quote

• The freedom that I wanted as a kid would - probably would not have been good for me and not in the way in which I wanted it.

  Mahershala Ali

  Kids, Way, Wanted

  Source: www.npr.org

  4 Copy quote

• Again, having - fortunately having never been in trouble. And eventually I found out that I was on a watch list.

  Mahershala Ali

  Watches, Lists, Trouble

  Source: www.npr.org

  4 Copy quote

• Anyone who grew up in the crack era - you know, I grew up in that era - knew that there were also people out - and there are still guys to this day that are out there, you know, obviously drug dealing - but those were the guys who had access and had money. And some of those guys felt responsible to create opportunity for other people and were also aware of the dangers of their work and often aren't really the ones that are encouraging kids to get into drug dealing.

  Mahershala Ali

  Kids, Opportunity, People

  Source: www.npr.org

  4 Copy quote

• My connection to music is so strong. I cling to it. I vibe out to it. I release stress to it. Music is really always close to me. It's really present in my work in terms of how I relate to characters is through rhythm and sound, even in their speech.

  Mahershala Ali

  Strong, Stress, Character

  "New spotlight, new baby for Oscars-bound Mahershala Ali". Associated Press Interview, www.dailymail.co.uk. February 17, 2017.

  4 Copy quote

• I know there were periods of times where I didn't feel understood, and there were very few people around me that I felt like they really got me. There was one person who was sort of the one in my life that really got me.In general, I felt a little bit on the outside and not totally included. There was a period of time when we were moving around a lot. So I couldn't really hold on to a certain set of friends. And so that was a little bit difficult.

  Mahershala Ali

  Moving, People, Littles

  Source: www.npr.org

  6 Copy quote

• I was fortunately able to avoid getting into any trouble with police. There was - I remember I was 12, and I did something really (laughter) - a couple of friends, Cinco de Mayo - we were off school, and we saw some people looking like they were having a party. And we had a little bit too much time on our hands, and so we figured, as kids, a great idea would be to throw some things over the fence and hit all these people with stuff, like eggs and everything.

  Mahershala Ali

  Laughter, Couple, Party

  Source: www.npr.org

  4 Copy quote

• I remember after 9/11, I started - I was working quite a bit in Vancouver. And then I realized I would go to catch my flight, and it would take me like 20 minutes to get cleared to fly, like, every time. I'm like, what is going on?

  Mahershala Ali

  Vancouver, Remember, Flight

  Source: www.npr.org

  4 Copy quote

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