Jesse Williams Quotes & Sayings

“There's so much material out there that's unnecessarily racist. It takes a shot at what is 'urban' or demonstrates blackness with some sassy, neck-jiving character that's not even relevant to the plot. I see it time and time again, and it doesn't move the story forward. It just kind of cryogenically freezes us in this old racial paradigm.”

“We often grow up being told that we can do this or that, but if you don't see anybody that looks like you doing it, you don't believe you can do it. But I had great teachers, and I wanted to be a great teacher.”

“I'm kind of in a middle space, being marketed as a biracial actor. Roles are written either stereotypically black, or they're written 'normal,' which is just code for white.”

“It was very important to me to be with a woman who is better than me at some things. You want someone who brings new, interesting things into your life.”

“Storybooks were always a big part of my imagination, and my childhood and adolescence.”

“We should all have the opportunity to at least get a basic education and feel that you are worthy of something in life.”

“That's why the role that I have on 'Grey's Anatomy' is important to me, because it's a human being. He doesn't have to wear race on his sleeve; he doesn't even have to talk about it. We just lead by our actions.”

“You have to be up-front from the very beginning about what your expectations of the other person are, and you can't make any promises you don't intend to keep.”

“I thought that if acting didn't work out, I'd have done law school or medical school: probably law to be honest.”

“Storytelling is based on the word, being an honorable person of integrity is based on your word.”