Kerry Washington > Quotes

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m a little bit of a loner. It’s been a big part of my maturing process to learn to allow people to support me. I tend to be very self-reliant and private. And I have this history of wanting to work things out on my own and protect people from what’s going on with me.”
― Kerry Washington

“the cruelest thing you can ever do to another human being is to label their suspicions as false when you know them to be true.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“Blood may be thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“We have the ability to be the heroes of our families, our communities and our lives. It's important to remind people of that truth: you have what it takes to make an impact. What is your hero's journey?”
― Kerry Washington

“A few weeks ago, my manager asked: "Do you feel like you're back? I feel like you're back." She meant it as a total compliment, but we had this great conversation where I was like, "You know what? I try really hard not to use that language, because it's not about going backward in life." I think it comes from this culture of antiaging, which is so not loving ourselves. I've been really focused on not being "back" to anything, but being the best version of myself right now. My body is the site of a miracle now. I don't want to be pre-miracle.”
― Kerry Washington

“This is when the connection between art and social change became crystal clear to me. I started to understand the power of representation, the need for people to see themselves in the content they consume, but also the power of content to change how they think and feel and behave.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“My mother eventually explained that she was attempting to free me from chores to make time for me to pursue my passions. But shielding me from learning the logistics of self-care meant that I had been groomed for success, but not self-sufficiency. For some reason she didn't feel she could give me both.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“My therapist told me the cruelest thing you can ever do to another human being is to label their suspicions as false when you know them to be true.” His therapist explained that when you teach a person to believe that their internal truth is a lie, you take from them the very thing that is most important to each of us—our ability to know and trust ourselves.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“My prayer is that their spirits remain as powerful and buoyant on land as they are in the water. And in the light of day as well as at night.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health… My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth.”
― Kerry Washington

“I had abandoned myself”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“My mother eventually explained that she was attempting to free me from chores to make time for me to pursue my passions. But shielding me from learning the logistics of self-care meant that I had been groomed for success, but not self-sufficiency. For some reason she didn’t feel she could give me both.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“He said, “My therapist told me the cruelest thing you can ever do to another human being is to label their suspicions as false when you know them to be true.” His therapist explained that when you teach a person to believe that their internal truth is a lie, you take from them the very thing that is most important to each of us—our ability to know and trust ourselves.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“Jamie had thrown me a lifeline. People-pleasing and perfectionism were still signature parts of my personality—the shape-shifting I’d learned as a child had created in me a desire to get it “right” instead of digging for the unknown. I was trying to embody somebody else’s idea of who a character or what a scene was supposed to be… who I was supposed to be, in fact.”
― Kerry Washington, Thicker than Water: A Memoir

“When I think about any of the missteps in my life that I've made, all of which I'm grateful for, it's because I just so wanted to be truly seen and heard for who I am and was afraid I wasn't or wouldn't be.”
― Kerry Washington