The more I'm pushed in a position of leadership and I know I have to be the mouthpiece for so many other people who can't speak for themselves, the more confidence I'm gaining.
Viola DavisRead
The predator wants your silence. It feeds their power, entitlement, and they want it to feed your shame.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of speaking out against oppression and not allowing shame to silence oneβs voice.
Viola Davis's quote speaks to the dynamics of power and control, illustrating how predators, whether in personal relationships or social systems, thrive on silence and the shame of their victims. By remaining silent, individuals inadvertently empower their oppressors, allowing shame to grow and perpetuating cycles of abuse. The message encourages people to find their voice and resist the forces that seek to silence them, thereby reclaiming their power and dignity.
Themes
SilencePowerShameCourageOppression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about empowering survivors of abuse.
More from Viola Davis
All quotes βWhat excites me is just taking some time to breathe in life. The mundane is very exciting.
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I don't care if someone is new to acting or experienced in acting: you always learn something from them. It's just like people in life - whether they're young or middle-aged or old, you always learn something from someone.
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I don't see a lot of narratives written where a woman who looks like me gets to be beautiful and sexualized and upwardly mobile, middle-class, funny, quirky. They're very seldom written.
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And that's what people want to see when they go to the theater. I believe at the end of the day, they want to see themselves - parts of their lives they can recognize. And I feel if I can achieve that, it's pretty spectacular.
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There's no prerequisites to worthiness. You're born worthy, and I think that's a message a lot of women need to hear.
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