Wisdom of Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman (June 1, 1937) is an American actor, narrator, and producer. He’s received many awards for his work, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 2008, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2011, the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2012, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2018.

Below we list words of wisdom by Morgan Freeman.

"How are we going to get rid of racism? Stop talking about it!"

"I am going to stop calling you a white man and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man."

"I hate the word homophobia. It's not a phobia. You are not scared. You are an asshole."

"As long as you feel like a victim, you are one."

"Did you just call me old? I really prefer the word 'experienced'."

"I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history."

"Finding joy is probably tantamount to finding yourself and being comfortable in your own skin."

"Fatigue, discomfort, discouragement are merely symptoms of effort."

"It's what I learn from the great actors that I work with. Stillness. That's all and that's the hardest thing."

"Still, it can be more effective to accomplish what you need to accomplish with the minimum effort. Watch Anthony Hopkins. He doesn't appear to be doing anything. He is so still that you can't see him working, but you are drawn into his character through his very stillness."

"How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time."

"You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. 'Have you found joy in your life?' 'Has your life brought joy to others?'"

"Never let pride be your guiding principle. Let your accomplishments speak for you."

"I once heard a wise man say there are no perfect men. Only perfect intentions."

"Don't be afraid of what you want. This is your time. The barriers are down."

"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice."

"Forgiveness liberates the soul, it removes fear."

"Don't be different just for different's sake. If you see it differently, function that way. Follow your own muse, always."

"I always tell my kids if you lay down, people will step over you. But if you keep scrambling, if you keep going, someone will always, always give you a hand. Always. But you gotta keep dancing, you gotta keep your feet moving."

"The trick to any profession is making it look easy."

"If your life turns out to be good and you have a tremendous amount of luck in your life, it's a good thing to turn around and make it work for others."
"We humans are more concerned with having than with being."

"You can't take credit for talent; you can only take credit for using it."

"Learning how to be still, to really be still and let life happen - that stillness becomes a radiance."

"The best way to guarantee a loss is to quit."

"You don't know how much you appreciate your privacy until you don't have it."

"I'm a firm believer that things happen as they should. The universe unfolds just as it's supposed to."

"Insanity is being shit on, beat down, coasting through life in a miserable existence when you have a caged lion locked inside and a key to release it."

"If I stay at home, I'm not famous. I'm only famous when I'm out in the streets, so I don't go out on the streets much."

"I am God. So it’s easy to play him. They say God is in all things. So if God is in me, then I am in God. Therefore, I am God. God does not exist without me."

"I'm making a great effort because sometimes life is not enjoyable. Sometimes it's painful and sometimes it's stressful, sometimes it's agonizing even, so I think once you get around those humps: strive for pleasure and peace."

"One universe, four forces, billions of galaxies. The precision and complexity of our world is enough to make even the famous cosmologist go just a little bit crazy. How does it all fit together? Is there a single, overarching design to the cosmos? And if we find it, will we glimpse the mind of God?"

"If you look back on your life and where you started from it's like looking back down a mountain back to the desert floor. It's like now I can't believe I had whatever it takes or perceived whatever it took to get here."

"Audiences believe what you believe. It's a matter of believing yourself. If I believe me, then you've got no choice. None at all."

"I like the character roles. Somewhere back there I really came to the conclusion in my mind that the difference between acting and stardom was major. And that if you become a star, people are going to go to see you. If you remain an actor, they're going to go and see the story you're in."

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo