Mahershala Ali movie quotes

“- Tony Lip: I dunno. Personally I think if you stuck to the classic stuff it would've been a big mistake.
- Dr. Donald Shirley: A mistake? Performing the music I trained my entire life to play?
- Tony Lip: Trained? What are you, a seal? People love what you do! Anyone can sound like Beethoven or Joe Pan or them other guys you said. But your...” (continue)(continue reading)
Viggo Mortensen - Tony Lip
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley

“I live in a castle, Tony! Alone. And rich white people pay me to play piano for them because it makes them feel cultured. But as soon as I step off that stage, I go right back to being just another nigger to them. Because that is their true culture. And I suffer that slight alone, because I'm not accepted by my own people 'cause I'm not like...” (continue)(continue reading)
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley

“You never win with violence. You only win when you maintain your dignity.”
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley

“So if I'm not black enough and if I'm not white enough, then tell me, Tony, what am I?”
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley

“- Little: What's a faggot?
- Juan: A faggot is... a word used to make gay people feel bad.
- Little: Am I a faggot?
- Juan: No. You're not a faggot. You can be gay, but you don't have to let nobody call you a faggot.”
Alex R. Hibbert - Little
Mahershala Ali - Juan

“Let me tell you something, man. There are black people everywhere. You remember that, okay? No place you can go in the world ain't got no black people, we was the first on this planet.”

Mahershala Ali - Juan

“- Juan: I saw your mama last night.
- Little: I hate her.
- Juan: I bet you do. Hated mine too. Miss her like hell now. All I'm gonna say about that.”
Mahershala Ali - Juan
Alex R. Hibbert - Little

“At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can't let nobody make that decision for you.”
Mahershala Ali - Juan

“- Kinuba: Vector! I should have known!
- Vector: What you should have known, my friend, is that nobody is greater than the game.”
Leonard Wu - Kinuba
Mahershala Ali - Vector

“- Vector: Don't you think it's time for you to go to Zalem?
- Chiren: What I want is not there.”
Mahershala Ali - Vector
Jennifer Lynn Connelly - Chiren

“- Alita: You made the biggest mistake of your life.
- Vector: And what's that?
- Alita: Underestimating who I am.”
Rosa Salazar - Alita
Mahershala Ali - Vector

“Social media has colonized what was once a sacred space occupied by emptiness: the space reserved for thought and creativity.”
Mahershala Ali

“Cultures and races are mixing in a very organic way in the world, and that should be reflected in film and television.”
Mahershala Ali

“The people that I admire have a wonderful balance of self-belief and humility.”
Mahershala Ali

“I have to say goodbye to things in order to take on bigger things that I've always wanted to do.”
Mahershala Ali

“Understand that we are all co-creators of our respective destinies.”
Mahershala Ali

“- Tony Lip: I don't make the rules down here.
- Dr. Donald Shirley: No? Then who does?
- Tony Lip: You're saying just 'cause I'm white and they're white? You know, that's a very prejudiced thing you just said there. A very prejudiced thing. I got more in common with the Hymies at 2nd Avenue Deli than I do with these hillbilly pricks down here.”
Viggo Mortensen - Tony Lip
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley

“- Dr. Donald Shirley: Could you put out the cigarette, please?
- Tony Lip: Why?
- Dr. Donald Shirley: I can't breathe back here.
- Tony Lip: What are you talkin' about? Smoke's going down my lungs. I'm doin' all the work here.”
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley
Viggo Mortensen - Tony Lip

“- Dr. Donald Shirley: What on God's green earth are you doing?
- Tony Lip: A letter.
- Dr. Donald Shirley: Looks more like a piecemeal ransom note.”
Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley
Viggo Mortensen - Tony Lip

“- Dr. Donald Shirley: I am not a medical doctor. I'm a musician. I'm about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South. What other experience do you have?
- Tony Lip: Public relations.”

Mahershala Ali - Dr. Donald Shirley
Viggo Mortensen - Tony Lip

“- Colonel Jim Johnson: I'm sorry, Katherine.
- Katherine G. Johnson: For what, Jim?
- Colonel Jim Johnson: Underestimating you, and any other woman like you, though I don't imagine there's many.
- Katherine G. Johnson: That's good practice, right there.”
Mahershala Ali - Colonel Jim Johnson
Taraji P. Henson - Katherine G. Johnson

“- Newton Knight: Mr. Moses, what are you?
- Moses Washington: A free man, captain.
- Newton Knight: Sure is.”
Matthew McConaughey - Newton Knight
Mahershala Ali - Moses

“As bad as you are, those things are worse.”
Mahershala Ali - Mombasa