Lou Diamond Phillips Quotes

I think I do have a good eye. It's quite liberating, being in a position to read a script and say, 'No.' It's really the only power you have, as an actor.

I don't make demands. I don't tell you how it should be. I'll give you options, and it's up to you to select or throw 'em away. That should be the headline: If you're insecure, don't call.

But I always had the ability to say no. That's how I called my own shots.

You're just so excited that you have this record deal or this movie opportunity that you don't stand up for yourself and say, This is what I want to do.

A lot of times, actors give so much power to the producers and the producing companies because, quite frankly, they have it. But we don't take the limited power that we have, which the power you initially have is to say 'no.' But 'no' in a positive way.

I know straight away if there are roles I don't want to do, and I have a lot of arguments with my agents about those.

Don't change who you are and it's okay to say no.

I just want to lean on my team to make the best decisions for me because, knowing myself, I won't say no to anybody.

Don't be afraid to walk away from things that are just not right for you.

After you have made your commitment to say no to what no longer serves you, you will probably be invited to demonstrate that you really mean it.

Power is not a material possession that can be given, it is the ability to act. Power must be taken, it is never given.

You can measure a man's worth by the breed of person he throws out of his office.

I finally learned that it was all right to say something wasn’t working for me when it wasn’t working. The world doesn’t come crashing down when you speak the truth.

Don't say yes to everything. Learn how to say no, because people respect a no.

I was raised by a strong mother who always taught me to speak up, I never had difficulty leaving an uncomfortable situation or cutting eye contact; people used to call me cold. Girls need to learn that they're allowed to say no and to speak up. This is what I work on in Africa with the girls, but the issue is global and I'm glad that women are speaking up and saying that we won't put up with it anymore.

The way I see it, the men that I'm with, whoever they are, it's like look, you have to accept the fact that I like ice cream, and I know it shows up on my hips but if you can't accept that, then leave. Go away, toodles. It is non-negotiable.

Our power is in our ability to decide.

Do we really have the right to take care of ourselves? Do we really have the right to set boundaries? Do we really have the right to be direct and say what we need to say? You bet we do.

The ability to say no is a tremendous advantage for an investor.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people

I think a lot of my girlfriends growing up gave themselves up to any boy who paid attention to them. I think young women now are a lot more particular. They pick and choose.

I think personal power is having the availability to say, 'No' to something, whatever that may be.

It's rough to feel creatively satisfied, as an actor, for the most part, because you don't initiate your own work.

What people have the capacity to choose, they have the ability to change.

I've learned to really just say no. If I don't want to do something, I won't do it. There's nothing that can make me do anything.