The last thing I want to be is a rich black superstar. I just want to act.

A man's got to take care of his family. You live in my house, you sleep your behind on my bedclothes, you put my food in your belly because you are my son; you are my flesh and blood, not because I like you. It is my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you.

So in my junior year, I switched to the drama department.

There is not enough magic in a bloodline to forge an instant, irrevocable bond.

Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack.

You weren't going to the theatre to change the world, but you had a chance to affect the world, the thinking and the feelings of the world.

You don't build a bond without being present.