Quotes by Sidney Poitier

About Sidney Poitier:

Sir Sidney Poitier is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, author and diplomat.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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.

Sidney Poitier

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.

Sidney Poitier

I had two roles for which I compromised.

Sidney Poitier

I didn't run into racism until we moved to Nassau when I was ten and a half, but it was vastly different from the kind of horrendous oppression that black people in Miami were under when I moved there at 15. I found Florida an antihuman place.

Sidney Poitier

Jackie Robinson is a true legend.

Sidney Poitier

Since I couldn't actuate the things that I wanted to do, the only weapon I had was to say no.

Sidney Poitier

Far as I can tell, I still have most of my hair, my gut is not hanging over my belt, and I still have all of my teeth.

Sidney Poitier

An appreciable number of directors have shifted to lower-cost films, allowing them to be satisfied with a more modest return.

Sidney Poitier

To be compared to Jackie Robinson is an enormous compliment, but I don't think it's necessarily deserved.

Sidney Poitier

Mine was an easy ride compared to Jackie Robinson's.

Sidney Poitier

I'd seen my father. He was a poor man, and I watched him do astonishing things.

Sidney Poitier

I couldn't adjust to the racism in Florida.

Sidney Poitier

I knew what it was to be uncomfortable in a movie theater watching unfolding on the screen images of myself - not me, but black people - that were uncomfortable.

Sidney Poitier

The impact of the black audience is expressing itself. They look to films to be more expressive of their needs, their lives. Hollywood has gotten that message - finally.

Sidney Poitier

If the screen does not make room for me in the structure of their screenplay, I'll step out. I'll step back. I'd step back. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.

Sidney Poitier

I had learned something of Miami from people who had visited there, so I knew what to expect.

Sidney Poitier

But I always had the ability to say no. That's how I called my own shots.

Sidney Poitier

In America, it is difficult to be your own man.

Sidney Poitier

I'm going to quit writing.

Sidney Poitier

I don't very often read novels.

Sidney Poitier

I sometimes like the pictures photographers take of me.

Sidney Poitier

Author Bio

  • NameSidney Poitier
  • DescriptionAmerican-born Bahamian actor, film director, author, and diplomat
  • BornFebruary 20, 1927
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionFilm Actor; Film Director; Actor; Diplomat; Autobiographer
  • AwardsAcademy Award For Best Actor; Knight Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire; Presidential Medal Of Freedom; Marian Anderson Award; Grammy Award