Quote Of The Day By Viola Davis About Inner Strength And Acceptance

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Viola Davis is one of entertainment’s greatest living performers, one who’s also admirable for her personal viewpoints on life, the creative process, happiness, and more. And whether it’s in her acceptance speeches, personal writing, or the work that lands on our screens, the actress has plenty of wisdom and insight worth highlighting and learning from. 

On the TV side of things, Davis has been nominated for Primetime Emmys five times, winning for Lead Actress in 2015 for “How to Get Away With Murder.” (Three of her other nominations were for the same role, while the fifth was for her guest spot in “Scandal” in 2018.) But Davis has achieved success far and wide across the industry, winning an Oscar in 2017 for “Fences,” two Actor Awards for “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and two Tonys for “Fences” and “King Hedley II.” (She even picked up a few Performer of the Week wins right here on TVLine.)

There’s seemingly nothing that can stop this acting powerhouse, but as she outlined in her 2022 autobiography, that wasn’t always the case. 

The full quote: “There is no way out. Every painful memory, every mentor, every foe served as a chisel. A led path that has shaped me. Me. The imperfect but blessed sculpture Viola that’s still being chiseled. My elixir: I am no longer ashamed of myself. I own everything that happened to me.”

The above excerpt comes from Viola Davis’ 2022 autobiography “Finding Me.” And fun fact: The audiobook version won her the Grammy Award for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording in 2023, which made the actress the 18th person to achieve EGOT status.

Viola Davis’ above quote speaks to the power of inner strength, not running from one’s past, and remaining open to learning from your struggles and trauma. The actress’ autobiography is chock-full of similar wisdom, as Davis shares her story from being a little girl who ran from her past to a grown woman who accepted her own history and became one of the world’s best and most respected performers. 

“This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me,” she writes in the book’s description. “My eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories and overcoming trauma, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be… you.”

Davis’ quote tells us to use every single experience as a learning opportunity, even if there is a negative effect or outcome attached. And to never stop exploring our inner selves.

“It’s futile to ask why. Instead ask yourself, ‘What did I learn from this?’ What have I learned from all of it? There is absolutely no way whatsoever to get through this life without scars.”― Viola Davis’ autobiography “Finding Me” 

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.” — Davis’ 2015 Emmys speech

“My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past. I found that not only did I have fight in me, I had love.” — “Finding Me”