Quotes
“ I think having a baby sliced out of you is pretty hardcore. ”
— Ali Wong
Entertainment Women Asian She / Her · Pronounced: AH-lee WONG
She / Her · Pronounced: AH-lee WONG
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Wong, known for candid stand-up about pregnancy and motherhood.
Read More: Asian Voices
“ Being kind is a choice that you can make absolutely every single day. ”
— Tom Hanks
Entertainment Male Role Models He / Him · Pronounced: TOM HANKS
He / Him · Pronounced: TOM HANKS
Context Hanks, promoting his role as Fred Rogers, on the choice at the centre of Rogers' philosophy.
“ Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man. And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. ”
— Morgan Freeman
Entertainment Male Role Models Black He / Him · Pronounced: MOR-gun FREE-mun
He / Him · Pronounced: MOR-gun FREE-mun
Context Freeman, on why he resists being defined by racial labels rather than simply being known as himself.
“ It's hard as a young person of a different ethnicity or background to look at the TV and not see anyone who looks like you. ”
— Zendaya
Entertainment Women Black She / Her · Pronounced: zen-DAY-uh
She / Her · Pronounced: zen-DAY-uh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Zendaya on why on-screen representation matters to young viewers.
Their Story American actor who became the youngest woman ever, and the second Black woman, to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role in 'Euphoria', a win she repeated in 2022.
Her Emmy acceptance speeches are direct primary sources. See Their Full Story
“ If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? ”
— RuPaul
Entertainment LGBTQ+ Black He / Him · Pronounced: ROO-pawl
He / Him · Pronounced: ROO-pawl
Context RuPaul's closing line on every episode of Drag Race, which grew into a wider mantra on self-worth.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ Why not me? ”
— Mindy Kaling
Entertainment Women Asian She / Her · Pronounced: MIN-dee KAY-ling
She / Her · Pronounced: MIN-dee KAY-ling
Context The title question of Kaling's memoir, on claiming opportunity.
Read More: Asian Voices
“ I use my platform for more than just myself. To neglect the political is to neglect what essentially is your job of storytelling. ”
— Zendaya
Entertainment Women Black She / Her · Pronounced: zen-DAY-uh
She / Her · Pronounced: zen-DAY-uh
Source: Widely reported interview material · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Zendaya on why she treats her public platform as more than promotion.
Their Story American actor who became the youngest woman ever, and the second Black woman, to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role in 'Euphoria', a win she repeated in 2022.
Her Emmy acceptance speeches are direct primary sources. See Their Full Story
“ I encourage women to step up. Don't wait for somebody to ask you. ”
— Reese Witherspoon
Entertainment Women She / Her · Pronounced: REESE WITH-er-spoon
She / Her · Pronounced: REESE WITH-er-spoon
Source: Widely reported interview material · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Witherspoon on taking initiative rather than waiting to be invited.
“ I was everywhere with everybody, and at the same time I was all by myself. ”
— Trevor Noah
Entertainment Black Global South He / Him · Pronounced: TREV-er NOH-uh
He / Him · Pronounced: TREV-er NOH-uh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Noah on the isolation of not fully belonging to any one group growing up.
“ I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me... the highest positive is forgiveness. ”
— Sidney Poitier
Entertainment Male Role Models Black He / Him · Pronounced: SID-nee pwah-tee-AY
He / Him · Pronounced: SID-nee pwah-tee-AY
Context Poitier, the first Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar, on channelling anger rather than being consumed by it.
“ Let's let everybody know it's okay to have a mental illness, it's okay to have an addiction problem. ”
— Demi Lovato
Entertainment Women LGBTQ+ She / Her · Pronounced: DEM-ee luh-VAH-toh
She / Her · Pronounced: DEM-ee luh-VAH-toh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Lovato addressing a sold-out crowd about mental illness and addiction.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ I became an artist, and thank god I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life. ”
— Viola Davis
Entertainment Women Black She / Her · Pronounced: vy-OH-luh DAY-viss
She / Her · Pronounced: vy-OH-luh DAY-viss
Context Davis's Oscars speech for Fences, on the purpose of her profession.
“ The only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity. ”
— Viola Davis
Entertainment Women Black She / Her · Pronounced: vy-OH-luh DAY-viss
She / Her · Pronounced: vy-OH-luh DAY-viss
Context The first Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama.
“ I remember that love conquers fear, always, and that to be a man means accepting myself, weaknesses and all. That's my true superpower. ”
— Terry Crews
Entertainment Male Role Models Male Allies He / Him · Pronounced: TAIR-ee KROOZ
He / Him · Pronounced: TAIR-ee KROOZ
Context Crews, who has spoken openly about surviving sexual assault, on redefining strength as honesty rather than hardness. Included as both a role model and an ally standing with survivors.
“ It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America. ”
— Patricia Arquette
Entertainment Women She / Her · Pronounced: puh-TRISH-uh ar-KET
She / Her · Pronounced: puh-TRISH-uh ar-KET
Context Arquette's Best Supporting Actress speech, which put wage equality on a global stage.
“ I'm definitely not all Asians, but the thing that I've always done is aggressively been myself. ”
— Awkwafina
Entertainment Women Asian She / Her · Pronounced: awk-wuh-FEE-nuh
She / Her · Pronounced: awk-wuh-FEE-nuh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Awkwafina on refusing to carry the weight of representing an entire community alone.
Read More: Asian Voices
“ Europeans didn't vibe with the way women held power in many Native societies. ”
— Lily Gladstone
Entertainment Women Indigenous She / Her · Pronounced: LIL-ee GLAD-stohn
She / Her · Pronounced: LIL-ee GLAD-stohn
Source: Vanity Fair interview · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Gladstone on the erasure of matrilineal power structures in many Indigenous nations.
Read More: Indigenous Voices
“ Just me existing, as an openly black transgender woman from a working-class background, thriving, is a political act. ”
— Laverne Cox
Entertainment Women Black Trans LGBTQ+ She / Her · Pronounced: luh-VERN KOKS
She / Her · Pronounced: luh-VERN KOKS
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Cox on visibility itself as resistance.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ Blood, sweat and respect. First two you give, the last one you earn. ”
— Dwayne Johnson
Entertainment Male Role Models He / Him · Pronounced: DWAYN JON-sun
He / Him · Pronounced: DWAYN JON-sun
Context Johnson, in his own words, on why respect can't be demanded, only earned.
“ It is a revolutionary act simply to be who you are. ”
— Laverne Cox
Entertainment Black LGBTQ+ Trans She / Her · Pronounced: luh-VERN KOKS
She / Her · Pronounced: luh-VERN KOKS
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Cox on visibility as an act of courage, from a pioneering trans actor.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ Ladies, don't let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. ”
— Michelle Yeoh
Entertainment Women Asian She / Her · Pronounced: mih-SHEL YOH
She / Her · Pronounced: mih-SHEL YOH
Context Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress Oscar, in her acceptance speech.
Read More: Asian Voices
