I've just directed a film called The Great Debaters, which is inspired by a true story about a young college debating team in the thirties and two of those people are still alive and we put them on tape on the film and I'm sure that will be added to the DVD, and to get the opportunity to do that is very cool.

What we did [shooting "Fences"] was we got young students from Carnegie Mellon, the acting and theater students, and we had them as our understudies. I told them, "You have to be off book and be ready. If Viola [Davis] has to leave you have to jump in."

So the desire you have, that itch that you have to be whatever it is you want to be ... that itch, that desire for good is God’s proof to you sent already to indicate that it’s yours. You already have it. Claim it.

Revenge is a meal best served cold.

Do what you gotta do so you can do what you wanna do.

My mother never gave up one me. I messed up in school so much they were sending me home, but my mother sent me right back.

So you never know who you touch. You never know how or when you'll have an impact, or how important your example can be to someone else" (20).