When I was growing up, I was told you could be anything you want to be, but I didn't really believe that because you couldn't be president. Like, I knew that; we never had a black president.

The things that people won't totally accept come in all shapes and sizes and forms, and I can relate to that in my own youth.

Kids feel like they have to puff up or shrink. These reclusive qualities begin to develop because you feel that who you are is going to either be accepted or rejected by your family and friends.

Mahershala Ali Quotes