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Cicely Tyson

Source: Jack Mitchell / Getty

Cicely Tyson, the iconic, legendary actress has starred in some memorable classics including The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, “Roots,” The Women of Brewster Place and my personal favorite Annalise Keating’s mother in “How To Get Away With Murder.”  But in addition to her groundbreaking work, Tyson has spent her life advocating for arts education and advocating for human and civil rights. With such a body of work, it should really come as no surprise that she would have some wisdom to offer us. Check out some of the quotes she’s offered over the years.

Cicely Tyson

Source: Dennis Oulds / Getty

Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.

69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards - Arrivals

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I don’t think you can measure wealth in dollars and cents. I really don’t believe that at all because there are some things that money cannot buy. One of them is health. And the other is security in your relationships and friends.

2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards - Day 1 - Arrivals

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Age is just a number. Life and aging are the greatest gifts that we could possibly ever have.

The Blue Bird

Source: Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection / Getty

I have learned not to allow rejection to move me.

Ron Galella Archive - File Photos 2011

Source: Ron Galella / Getty

One of the things I have always said about the man-woman relationship is that I don’t want anybody to walk ahead of me, and I don’t want anybody to walk behind me. I want a man who will walk along beside me. And that’s how I feel about equal rights.

Cicely Tyson

Source: Jack Mitchell / Getty

In my early years, there were a number of experiences that made me decide I could not afford the luxury of just being an actress. There were a number of issues I wanted to address. And I wanted to use my career as a platform.

 

 

Still From 'Carib Gold'

Source: John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Archive / Getty

When I told my mother that I wanted to be an actress, she said, you can’t live here and do that, and so I moved out. I was determined to prove her wrong because she was so sure that I was going to go astray. And that’s the juice that kept me going.

 

On natural hair

Cicely Tyson at Core Benefit

Source: Bettmann / Getty

The moment anyone tries to demean or degrade you in any way, you have to know how great you are. Nobody would bother to beat you down if you were not a threat.

On racism

Cicely Tyson Oscar Party

Source: Gary Gershoff / Getty

I am not a quitter. I will fight until I drop. It is just a matter of having some faith in the fact that as long as you are able to draw breath in the universe, you have a chance.