Questlove Quotes

I want to continue to speak out on issues that matter to me. I want to have even more of a voice.

I don't think there is a single social issue I haven't spoken on.

I'm going to save my public voice largely for the issues where I have some depth.

Growing up, I realized as an actor I had to figure out how to use my platform in order to give back as well and use that spotlight to shine, or at least to balance that light and to try to shine light onto the other issues that were happening in the world.

What celebrities are useful for is bringing attention to the public and making them more aware. They can be unbelievably effective.

In community work, you reach some people, but in writing, I can reach many more people, not only in exploring issues of domestic violence, but also by showing the importance of strong women in communities.

The biggest challenge is how to affect public attitudes and make people care.

One of the things that defines a TEDster is you've taken your passion, and you've turned it into stewardship. You actually put action to the issues you care about.

I think I've done a good job of trying to figure out ways to continue to use my voice and platform for the right things.

It's one of the things about being a person with a public presence, to get to lend your name to a worthy cause.

After the Winter Olympics in 2006, I realized I had a platform to speak about causes that were important to me - and people would listen.

I know it's very comfortable to sit at home and stay with your family, kids and friends and not worry about anything. But with the platform we have we should be the people that scream at the social issues and put them out there so as a society we can move forward.

I only want to use my status as a comic actor to bring about a difference to society.

As far as my work for causes or social issues, that's something I'm doing as a private citizen.

If we're going to fight a disease, let's fight one of the most terrible diseases of all, indifference.

I am so profoundly aware of my lack of skill to make any material difference. I am not a doctor. I can't influence foreign policy. I can't build schools. I can't chemically engineer the protein paste that helps people with acute malnutrition. But I can talk about it, and so can you.

I could just go to the horse races and take lovely holidays, but I have some strong views, and I want to make a difference.

One of the things you learn being in the public eye is that you have the ability to raise awareness about serious issues, and, in the process, really help people.

I am a person that when I go in the street, everybody knows me and goes: 'Oh, you are entering politics.' I want to do something positive for the future. It doesn't mean to become a leader of a party.

I think that everyone has the power to make a change in the world.

I am fortunate enough with my career that I can speak out to the masses and hopefully be a part of initiating change.

My cartoons haven't been about the politics of the day or about the personalities; I'm more interested in campaigning about the issues.

And I've tried to give us a higher profile. Typically, at a board meeting, we'd pass resolutions about the civil-rights issue of the day, but we'd never tell anyone. So I've instituted a policy of announcing our resolutions at the end of our meetings.

For 18 years I have resisted talking about current events. I am not going to start now.

So we gravitated to shows and issues and causes that made people care.