12 Viola Davis Quotes That Will Make You Ugly Cry

Updated on 3/20/2017 at 10:00 PM

Viola Davis is making history. Not only is she the first black actress to win five SAG Awards, she's also the first black actress to be nominated for three Oscars. Each time Viola steps on stage to accept her trophies, she always manages to deliver a moving speech we all can be inspired by. In honor of her record-breaking success, we've rounded up some of her best quotes that will make you ugly cry.

"I believe that the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are, truly being who you are."
"Do not live someone else's life and someone else's idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you. Womanhood is everything that's inside of you."
"I don't have any time to stay up all night worrying about what someone who doesn't love me has to say about me."

"I own my story. I own my failures. I'm not interested in being perfect. That's how I deal [with stress]. I don't put on a mask. I think that the effort to put on the mask is probably more detrimental than just being able to step up and admit your vulnerability in front of people who have enough empathy for you."
"I would love to be remembered as a person who used her life to inspire others in any way, shape or form."

"All you really need to do is shift people just a tiny bit for change to happen. It doesn't have to be huge and humongous."
"The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity."
"Forgive yourself — every minute of the day, every day, that would be number one. You always focus on your mistakes as a mom, and you just have to know that you're doing the best you can with what you know."
"But the biggest beauty advice I've given my daughter is every morning I say, 'Genesis, what are the two best parts of you?' And she says 'my brain and my heart.' And I say, 'You've gotta remember that, Genesis. You've gotta remember that you're not what you look like,' you know? I think that's the best beauty advice I could give her."

"Is it just a trend to talk about inclusion (and I'd rather say inclusion than diversity)? Or is it going to be a norm? That we understand that we're all a part of the narrative, that all of our stories deserve to be told?"
"All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards then."
"The happily ever after comes after you've done the work."