My immediate family was always very supportive. It was my own fear of the rest of the world not accepting me, the rest of our society not accepting my wish to be an actor.
I definitely intend to create my own work in the future so that we don't have to keep saying, We don't have work for black women.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of self-creation and empowerment among black women in addressing workplace disparities.
Lupita Nyong'o's quote reflects her commitment to fostering opportunities for black women through her own creative endeavors. By stating her intention to create work, she highlights a proactive approach to combatting systemic barriers in the entertainment industry, where representation and opportunities often fall short. This message serves as an inspiration for others to take initiative in pursuing their ambitions and to build platforms for underrepresented voices.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a women's empowerment seminar, this quote can inspire attendees to pursue their creative passions.
More from Lupita Nyong'O
All quotes β[My mother] always said I was beautiful and I finally believed her at some point.
What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion: for yourself and for those around you.
That you will feel the validation of your external beauty but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside. There is no shade in that beauty.
As human beings, we aren't as individual as we'd like to believe we are. And I think that's what makes acting possible. Despite the fact that I have not experienced something, I have it in my human capacity to imagine it and to put myself in someone else's shoes, and to take someone else's circumstances personally.
I've loved the opportunity to learn about the fashion world and appreciate it as an art form, and I look forward to my continued education, but I never want it to take over my acting.
Similar quotes
Just strengthening that theme that America is a place of opportunity and hoping to inspire people to fulfill those opportunities, and to want more, and to want better, and to see the places we can go. So many people identify with me because of the place that I come from.
Never underestimate your ability to make someone else's life better - even if you never know it.
I'm honored to have been chosen as a fellow of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. I am hugely appreciative for the support I have had throughout my life, and I look forward to using the grant to help institutions that have fed my soul and to support new work that inspires me.
...[T]here should be a real sense of your imagination and your memories walking and woolgathering, tramping the hills, romping all over the place. Trust them. Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.
I bring you the gift of these four words: I believe in you.
A superhero is someone who, at some point or in some way, inspires hope or is the enemy of cynicism.