Denzel Washington Success Quotations

You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That's a part of it.

Black or white good parts are hard to come by. A good actor with a good opportunity has a shot; without the opportunity it doesn't matter how good you are.

I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.

I say luck is when an opportunity comes along and you're prepared for it.

My faith helps me understand that circumstances don't dictate my happiness, my inner peace.

You have to grab moments when they happen. I like to improvise and ad lib.

My mother used to tell me man gives the award, God gives the reward. I don't need another plaque.

I'm very proud to be black, but black is not all I am. That's my cultural historical background, my genetic makeup, but it's not all of who I am nor is it the basis from which I answer every question.

I never really had the classic struggle. I had faith.

If you have an enemy, then learn and know your enemy, don't just be mad at him or her.

If you don't trust the pilot, don't go.

It's simple: You get a part. You play a part. You play it well. You do your work and you go home. And what is wonderful about movies is that once they're done, they belong to the people. Once you make it, it's what they see. That's where my head is at.

When I was a child I thought I saw an angel. It had wings and kinda looked like my sister. I opened the door so some light could come into the room, and it sort of faded away. My mother said it was probably my Guardian Angel.

I think a role model is a mentor - someone you see on a daily basis, and you learn from them.

The time to worrying about flying is when you're on the ground. When you're up in the air, it's too late. No point in worrying about it then.

My ultimate life dream project is my kids. My family.

I work hard for the audience. It's entertainment. I don't need validation.

If I am a cup maker, I'm interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.

I had a lot of success from the start. I never really was tested for long periods of time. I got my first professional job while I was a senior in college. I signed with the William Morris Agency before I graduated.

In Los Angeles, everyone is a star.

When my oldest boy was about 14, I started to talk to him about some of the mistakes I made in life, just to put a few dents in that shiny armor.

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

We've all received our share of good fortune, so that's my definition of much. A single blessing is all the bounty in the world, and if you've been blessed at all you're meant to pass some of that on. You're meant to set a positive example. That's our responsibility

Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

Do what you have to do, to do what you want to do.

The secret to a happy marriage? Do whatever your wife tells you. 'Yes, dear.' And breathe.