I'm always fascinated by people from the Midwest, because it is so different than Hollywood, who discover at some point that they want to be in Hollywood. Tavis Smiley More Quotes by Tavis Smiley More Quotes From Tavis Smiley The data is going to indicate sadly that when the Obama administration is over, black people will have lost ground in every single leading economic indicator category. Tavis Smiley datablackpeople I don't think I'd live anything over, even though I've made a lot of mistakes. I have learned how to see failure as a friend. So, I'm not one to live a life of regrets. I try to learn from my mistakes, but I'll take my life the way it is. Tavis Smiley regretmistakethinking The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we leave. Tavis Smiley legacychoiceskind Even in the era of the first black president, racism is still the most intractable issue in USA. Regarding poverty, half of all Americans are either in or near poverty. Poverty is certainly worse for African-Americans now than it was during King's lifetime. Tavis Smiley usaissueskings We need to elect leaders who understand that leadership is about loving and serving people, not about self-advancement. Tavis Smiley leaderselfpeople Don't envy someone else's gift. Discover your own. Tavis Smiley envy Sometimes rejection in life is really redirection. Tavis Smiley rejectionlife-issometimes I think that what started out as a European Union originally was probably a really wonderful and world-changing idea, the idea of a kind of cooperation and interdependence between countries. But the idea that individualization would work on common ground, not on conflict, not against each other, but to find how each benefitted from the other I thought was an incredibly hopeful and positive possibility. Tavis Smiley countryideasthinking The storm came. Lives were washed away. Ancient pains resurfaced. Now it is time for a sea of change. Tavis Smiley stormpainsea I believe if we make black America better, we make all of America better. Tavis Smiley blackbelieveamerica He was a humanist then, he's a humanist now, and to my mind John Carlos is an authentic American hero. Tavis Smiley humanistheromind This administration and these folk who run Washington are no more interested in our welfare and our well being than the man on the moon. And we have got to start taking our destiny into our hands. Tavis Smiley destinymoonrunning My personal assessment is that Dr. King is the greatest American we have ever produced. I can argue for Lincoln, I can argue for FDR, but for my money, King is the greatest American we have ever produced. His only weapon was love. He transforms a nation, transforms the world with one weapon and that of course being again the weapon of love. So that for me, King is the quintessential example of everything that I could ever want to be in my lifetime. Tavis Smiley assessmentweaponskings Regardless of your race, religion or political affiliation, never hesitate to question those in authority. Tavis Smiley politicalauthorityrace [John Carlos] has spent much of his life since that time as a dedicated human rights advocate and public speaker, and he is out now with a wonderful new text; a memoir, in fact. Tavis Smiley rightswonderfulfacts Losing teaches you something Tavis Smiley teachlosing That is still the case in this country for too many students, the soft bigotry of low expectations. If you don't expect them to learn, if you don't expect them to succeed - then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Tavis Smiley selfexpectationscountry Live just because or live your life for a cause Tavis Smiley live-your-lifecauses John Carlos provided the world with one of the most iconic images of the 1960s with his Black Power salute after a medal-winning performance at the 1968 summer games. Tavis Smiley gamessummerwinning I learned early on that it's heartbreaking to - there's the editor that comes in, and then they have to craft the movie together, and sometimes you give a whole performance that's just been cut up, and maybe it's better for it, absolutely, but you still have to deal with the loss of that. Tavis Smiley editorscuttingloss
