When I'm acting, that's all I'm doing. When I'm not acting, I'm not thinking about acting. If I'm writing, I'm just writing.
— Hill Harper
I love making films, but the best roles are hard to come by.
My parents both are physicians, and my grandfathers were both physicians.
The media is convincing people that if you have that 'next thing,' that diamond, the right car, then you'd be happier.
Whatever your calling is as a service, follow it - that's beautiful.
I think our biggest problem is lack of real, honest communication between black men and black women. A lot of men talk amongst men, and a lot of women speak amongst women.
I think the number one safe haven where people put their money is to invest in yourself first.
I've done romantic comedy, and I don't get to flex that muscle often.
So many of our young women today, they're growing up without a father, but they're still thirsty for that and desiring positive male love.
The thing about our country, Americans, and New Yorkers in particular, we all want to help. There's real folks who want to help. The problem is, they don't know how. They don't know how to get involved.
I'm not excusing crime or those who bring poison into the community, but I do want brothers and sisters in prison to know someone cares.
You deserve a great life. I want to see you become unreasonably happy. And you can. And you will.
I believe we all have the capacity to be masters of many things, and there's nothing that we can't do. You can be a great actor and also be a great writer. There's so many things that all of us have the capacity to do. But somehow, life tries to convince us that we'd be lucky to do even one thing well, and I disagree.
Many of us are in are in our own prisons that aren't made of iron bars.
Dr. King said, 'We are all tied together in a garment of mutual destiny.' Which says to me no matter how well I may be doing in Hollywood, if a young brother or sister in Louisiana, the South Bronx, the South Side of Chicago, South Central Los Angeles - is not doing well, then I'm not doing very well.
The best way to protect young black, brown, men of color, women of color, is to actually stop profiling, stop the prejudice, and stop the judgment first.
I would suggest that folks who have a platform of so-called celebrity, to the extent that they don't use that platform, or if they just use it for their own self-aggrandizement, it is certainly fed in a way that it goes to waste.
Here's the deal: I believe - and I attempt to live my life this way - we all have more time than we think we do. We all waste so much time.
Without writers, none of the entertainment would exist. It starts with writers. Writers are the most important piece of the entire puzzle.
Obviously, this whole 'no child left behind' idea is more rhetoric than actual practice.
Most people aren't honest with themselves about money.
I've been trying to make a difference as an actor. I want to play characters that move people, have them look at their lives differently, or give them an escape.
Poverty existed before January 20, 2008, OK? Before President Obama took office.
There's a wealth gap that is happening, and that is all over the world, you know? The rich are getting richer and holding a higher percentage of money or wealth that's out there.
Fundamentally, we all want the same thing. We want to love. We want to be loved, and we want to matter.
Many of us are walking around living smaller lives than we're meant to live. Don't allow yourself to dream smaller than you were meant to dream.
I don't want the George Clooney lifelong bachelorhood. If I found the right person, I would commit in a minute.
On 'CSI: NY,' the audience knew I was a really good guy, and I caught the bad guy.
On the male side of my family, cancer has been very insidious, and so I'm just attempting to live a lifestyle that doesn't follow in their footsteps.
Roles make the actor.
You can live a healthy lifestyle and do the best to be aware of your body and conscious, and that's what I attempt to do.
Credit card interest payments are the dumbest money of all.
When I get stopped by the police, I keep my hands on the wheel. I'm not going to move.
When it comes to African Americans and African American actors, Hollywood has always felt that if you can make us laugh, that's fine, but we don't need to see you do a 'Schindler's List,' where there's no jokes or music or comedic through-line.
I champion the idea of being more conscious. I call it being an active architect of your own life. Building your life like an architect builds a structure.
Since I'm in the entertainment business, I think I have to hold a mirror up to myself and say, 'Am I complicit in miseducating and misinforming our youth by participating in this business, or can I use this business to re-educate and uplift?'
I believe that reality TV should be called 'not reality' TV; it's fiction.
If you have a debt issue or credit card issue, start dealing with it. If you have a tax issue, don't just say, 'I'm not going to file.' There are ways to deal with these things, but you must communicate with your creditors, whether it's a credit card company or tax department.
'The Conversation' will hopefully touch on issues that will move people to want to strengthen communication and look to each other for solutions.
Part of the problem I find with money books is that there's this whole set of money books that make you feel almost guilty to spend a dollar.
I think, without question, the way someone plays sports shows something about inherently who they are, you know?
People always want to think that because you're not from a certain circumstance, you can't relate. That's ridiculous.
We are human beings. We operate from wanting to be rewarded.
When I was dealing with cancer, I was working on a book about finances. I realized that the same methodology that the doctors were using to cure me, you could use to cure your finances. Health and wealth are so linked, it's amazing.
You're writing your life as you go - the question becomes, how do you want to write your life?
There are so many actors that I meet that don't act enough. Definitely take class, definitely train - that's the most important thing you do. Build your craft. Become better.
I studied theater in college, and I absolutely knew that I loved acting, and I knew that I loved theater.
You're in a situation where you have limited education opportunities, you don't have any money, you can't get a job; what are you going to do? You're going to go back to this criminal network that you actually made while you were in prison.
I'm not the biggest star in the world, but I do have a platform, and if I can use that platform to help somebody else, why wouldn't I?
You can't have justice unless you have truth.
