Sidney Poitier Quotes

The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.

You been around enough to see that if you think you're it, you better check with me.

Those who feel themselves despised do well to look despising.

[On how she goes about trying to live authentically] Well really listening to my point of view and if I am on a set, say, that doesn't really value a woman's point of view, regardless of how they feel, continuing to give my point of view and try to find a way to be heard and not diminishing myself because other people are diminishing me. Because that, I think, is the worst temptation that, you know, you judge yourself by how others are judging you, and to fall into that trap is to walk into the realm of self-annihilation.

Mirabelle is not affected by a man’s failures to approach her, as her own self-depreciating attitude never allows the idea that he would in the first place.

If we continue to devalue ourselves we cannot realistically expect respect from others.

Don't allow anybody to make you feel that you're nobody.

It's rather difficult to think of anybody being really interested in me. But you know, man, I am totally together.

If another person only had in his storehouse of deserved self-esteem what you had put there, what would he have to draw upon and to sustain him?

Never compromise and sell yourself short.

If you believe in your value, how could it possibly be appropriate to hide it from people who need it?

It hurts like hell when the world won't invest in you. But it's excruciating, almost more than you can bear, when you don't believe and invest in yourself.

I refuse to follow the rules where society tries to control people with low self esteem.

If you are to accomplish all that one demands of you, you must overestimate your own worth.

I'm so secure in myself I couldn't care less what people think of me.

Your hair isn't quite right and maybe you're a size bigger than you should be and on and on and on. I think there comes a moment when you've matured to the point where you suddenly think, nonsense. I am fine just the way I am.

It took me a long time to realize that to walk around without a certain amount of belief in myself, to walk onto a job with my tail between my legs, wasn't behooving anyone else.

I was so adamant about proving myself for so long and I've gotten to the point where I don't have to do that as much.

No shade to the other artists in Chicago... but if you got confidence in yourself and you know you're Number One, say it.

I felt like I always had to fight to prove my worth.

I've always felt a strong urge to prove myself.

The man who must brag for himself knows that no one else will

I decided early on that I was going to put on my crown and rule my world by acting right and treating myself like a queen.

It was my father who taught me to value myself.

Don?t back down just to keep the peace. Standing up for your beliefs builds self-confidence and self-esteem.