Louis Gossett, Jr. Quotes

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Louis Gossett, Jr.

Profession : Actor

Birth : May 27, 1936

One family, one nation, indivisible. That mentality is essential for our salvation.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

We started the family Bible after slavery was abolished. My great-grandmother remembered the Bible being started, which meant that she was a slave as a young girl. When she died, the Bible was at least 105 years old, so she must have been nearly 115 years old. Her daughter, my grandmother, died at 97, and her husband at 98.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

It's presumptuous for us to think we are the only beings in the cosmos.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

The two lines from 'Roots' that stick out to me are, 'You no more in Africa. You in America now,' and what I said after Kunta escaped: 'What is it like to be free, Kunta? It must be something.'

Louis Gossett, Jr.

We are born with freedom and hope, but often that's dashed because of our color. But in school, I'd already been taught that no one could tell me that you can't do something because you're black.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I was at Woodstock. In the mud.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I'm cancer-free. And I'm on antioxidants and acupuncture and a different diet. And I have a different outlook on life. I don't have resentment any more. It's wonderful.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I believe the gift of acting is a gift from God, my oath to God, and I want to make sure on a daily basis that it is honed and deeply spiritual... I want to believe that the audience believes that my acting comes from this special place.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

There are beautiful words in the Bible and in our pledges and the Declaration of Independence.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I think more important than law is the hearts of people.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

The Lord may not come when you want Him, but he's always going to be there on time.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I can do more than anyone suspects. I pride myself on my versatility. It took 32 years of difficult parts, second leads, villains and juveniles. The Oscar changed the quality of the roles I was being offered.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

When I'm offered a role, I look at what I think I can do with it. I look to see if I can project myself into it.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

If a role isn't different, it's not worth doing.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I didn't know anything about acting, I didn't know anything about theater, but I was just an exceptional student at high school. I wanted to play ball; I'm going after a basketball scholarship and be a doctor. I got injured and my marks began to drop.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I was president of the schools in junior high and high school, got a scholarship to New York University, played a little basketball, and was a celebrity.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

I was always told that I'd have to do a movie with a white guy in order to get the money. That's the way it was. That made me feel that I should have chosen some other profession, so I could have gotten my just deserts.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

You have a bout with death, things that touch your mortality, when that happens, all that bling-bling gets thrown away because all you've got is you and God.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

My father was adopted. He grew up in the Italian household.

Louis Gossett, Jr.

My father's best friend, Georgie Terra, was an Italian guy. The children and the cousins and nieces and nephews were children of the Mafia. Those were the children he grew up with. If you want to go to a safe neighborhood, go to where the Mafia is.

Louis Gossett, Jr.