But I always had the ability to say no. That's how I called my own shots.
— Sidney Poitier
I had learned something of Miami from people who had visited there, so I knew what to expect.
Jackie Robinson is a true legend.
I come from a great family. I've seen family life and I know how wonderful, how nurturing, and how wonderful it can be.
I wanted to explore the values that are at work, underpinning my life.
So I'm OK with myself, with history, my work, who I am and who I was.
History passes the final judgment.
I was not the kind of a principal player that was so in demand that eight or 10 or 12 scripts came per month.
Mine was an easy ride compared to Jackie Robinson's.
To simply wake up every morning a better person than when I went to bed.
I never had an occasion to question color, therefore, I only saw myself as what I was... a human being.
I was the only Black person on the set. It was unusual for me to be in a circumstance in which every move I made was tantamount to representation of 18 million people.
As a man, I've been representative of the values I hold dear. And the values I hold dear are carryovers from the lives of my parents.
We all suffer from the preoccupation that there exists... in the loved one, perfection.
I had chosen to use my work as a reflection of my values.
To be compared to Jackie Robinson is an enormous compliment, but I don't think it's necessarily deserved.
My autobiography was simply the story of my life.
I wanted to look at them because I feel, internally, that I am an ordinary person who has had an extraordinary life.
So I had to be careful. I recognized the responsibility that, whether I liked it or not, I had to accept whatever the obligation was. That was to behave in a manner, to carry myself in such a professional way, as if there ever is a reflection, it's a positive one.
In my case, the body of work stands for itself... I think my work has been representative of me as a man.
I always wanted to be someone better the next day than I was the day before.
