12 Kerry Washington Quotes That Are Bound To Inspire

01of 12

ON HER ADWEEK COVER PHOTO

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

02of 12ON BEING THE STAR OF YOUR OWN STORYRon Batzdorff/ABC"My role inScandalteaches women that you don’t have to be an accessory. You can be the lead in your own life."– toGlamour

02of 12

ON BEING THE STAR OF YOUR OWN STORY

Ron Batzdorff/ABC

“My role inScandalteaches women that you don’t have to be an accessory. You can be the lead in your own life."– toGlamour

03of 12ON OWNING HER IMPERFECTIONSLester Cohen/WireImage"The reality is we all have nerves … We all wonder at times ‘What am I doing here? What is going on?’ But if I said to myself ‘I’m only going to show up, or speak or be visible when I’m perfect’, I would never get out of bed … It’s about knowing what I am in this moment is what I need to be. And going for it. The imperfections are actually a gift."–to DooBop

03of 12

ON OWNING HER IMPERFECTIONS

Lester Cohen/WireImage

“The reality is we all have nerves … We all wonder at times ‘What am I doing here? What is going on?’ But if I said to myself ‘I’m only going to show up, or speak or be visible when I’m perfect’, I would never get out of bed … It’s about knowing what I am in this moment is what I need to be. And going for it. The imperfections are actually a gift."–to DooBop

04of 12ON OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS CITIZENSHeather Kennedy/Getty"Look, I get it. Whether it’s school, work, family, we’ve all got a lot on our minds. People say to me, ‘I’m just too busy to think about politics.’ But here’s the thing: You may not be thinking about politics, but politics is thinking about you."– whilespeakingat the Democratic National Convention in 2012

04of 12

ON OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS CITIZENS

Heather Kennedy/Getty

“Look, I get it. Whether it’s school, work, family, we’ve all got a lot on our minds. People say to me, ‘I’m just too busy to think about politics.’ But here’s the thing: You may not be thinking about politics, but politics is thinking about you."– whilespeakingat the Democratic National Convention in 2012

05of 12ON CELEBRATING OUR DIFFERENCESDonato Sardella/Getty"I don’t believe in post-racial. It’s like saying we should live in a post-gender world. But I love being a woman! I am interested in living in a post-sexist world and feel the same about race. I don’t want to live in a post-race world because being black is really exciting. I mean – it’s who I am. I’m a woman, black, from New York, Aquarius – these are things that create who I am. I’m interested in living in a post-racist world, where being African-American doesn’t dictate limitations on what I can do – but I don’t want to live post-race. Our differences are so fascinating and wonderful. We don’t want to all be the same. Who wants that? Hitler did, but who else?"– toThe Guardian

05of 12

ON CELEBRATING OUR DIFFERENCES

Donato Sardella/Getty

“I don’t believe in post-racial. It’s like saying we should live in a post-gender world. But I love being a woman! I am interested in living in a post-sexist world and feel the same about race. I don’t want to live in a post-race world because being black is really exciting. I mean – it’s who I am. I’m a woman, black, from New York, Aquarius – these are things that create who I am. I’m interested in living in a post-racist world, where being African-American doesn’t dictate limitations on what I can do – but I don’t want to live post-race. Our differences are so fascinating and wonderful. We don’t want to all be the same. Who wants that? Hitler did, but who else?"– toThe Guardian

06of 12ON THE MYTH OF NORMALJason LaVeris/FilmMagic"In the real world, being an ‘other’ is the norm. In the real world, the only norm is uniqueness, and our media must reflect this."– during her GLAAD Vanguard awardacceptance speech

06of 12

ON THE MYTH OF NORMAL

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

“In the real world, being an ‘other’ is the norm. In the real world, the only norm is uniqueness, and our media must reflect this."– during her GLAAD Vanguard awardacceptance speech

07of 12

ON VALUING HER INTELLECT OVER HER LOOKS

David Livingston/Getty

08of 12ON COMBATTING PREJUDICECindy Ord/Getty"We don’t come out of the womb filled with prejudice, racism, and homophobia. Kids are taught to hate, so we have to protect our young people’s minds from those evils."– toThe Advocate

08of 12

ON COMBATTING PREJUDICE

Cindy Ord/Getty

“We don’t come out of the womb filled with prejudice, racism, and homophobia. Kids are taught to hate, so we have to protect our young people’s minds from those evils."– toThe Advocate

09of 12ON LIVING THE LIFE YOU WERE MEANT TO LIVERex Shutterstock"You and you alone are the only person that can live the life that writes the story that you were meant to tell. And the world needs your story because the world needs your voice. Every single one of you. And because as your story unfolds, you will inspire others to find their stories, and so on. And those are the stories that I can’t wait to watch."– in herGeorge Washington University commencement address

09of 12

ON LIVING THE LIFE YOU WERE MEANT TO LIVE

Rex Shutterstock

“You and you alone are the only person that can live the life that writes the story that you were meant to tell. And the world needs your story because the world needs your voice. Every single one of you. And because as your story unfolds, you will inspire others to find their stories, and so on. And those are the stories that I can’t wait to watch."– in herGeorge Washington University commencement address

10of 12ON HEARING THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS BUT NOT TOLERATING ABUSESplash News Online"I like when people express a difference of opinion on Twitter, because that’s so wonderful about the country we live in. You don’t have to agree with me, but if you come at me with hatred and slurs, I will block you."– toThe Advocate

10of 12

ON HEARING THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS BUT NOT TOLERATING ABUSE

Splash News Online

“I like when people express a difference of opinion on Twitter, because that’s so wonderful about the country we live in. You don’t have to agree with me, but if you come at me with hatred and slurs, I will block you."– toThe Advocate

11of 12ON THE POWER OF STORYTELLINGGreg Allen/Invision/AP"In my career, I’ve not been afraid of inhabiting characters who are judged and who are misunderstood and who have not been granted full rights of citizenship as human beings, but here’s the great irony: I don’t decide to play the characters I play as a political choice, yet the characters I play often do become political statements. Having your story told as a woman, as a person of color, as a lesbian or as a trans person or as any member of any disenfranchised community is sadly often still a radical idea. There is so much power in storytelling, and there is enormous power in inclusive storytelling, in inclusive representations."'– during her GLAAD Vanguard awardacceptance speech

11of 12

ON THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

Greg Allen/Invision/AP

“In my career, I’ve not been afraid of inhabiting characters who are judged and who are misunderstood and who have not been granted full rights of citizenship as human beings, but here’s the great irony: I don’t decide to play the characters I play as a political choice, yet the characters I play often do become political statements. Having your story told as a woman, as a person of color, as a lesbian or as a trans person or as any member of any disenfranchised community is sadly often still a radical idea. There is so much power in storytelling, and there is enormous power in inclusive storytelling, in inclusive representations."'– during her GLAAD Vanguard awardacceptance speech

12of 12ON LOVING THE CHAOTIC JOURNEY OF LIFEJason Merritt/Getty"I realized that I don’t have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect and beautiful journey of my life. It’s a trip more wonderful than I could have imagined."– inO, The Oprah Magazine

12of 12

ON LOVING THE CHAOTIC JOURNEY OF LIFE

Jason Merritt/Getty

“I realized that I don’t have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect and beautiful journey of my life. It’s a trip more wonderful than I could have imagined."– inO, The Oprah Magazine

source: people.com