Quotes By James Earl Jones

It has to be real, and I think a lot of the problems we have as a society is because we don't acknowledge that family is important, and it has to be people who are present, you know, and mothers and fathers, both are not present enough with children.

You don't build a bond without being present.

I knew real show business from my father, who had been an actor since he left the world of boxing.

One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.

The goal wasn't to be a millionaire or to be a Hollywood star. That was not the goal. The goal was something about - the goal was to find the goal, but I knew where it was.

I happened to happened to land in a time, in the middle '60s, that without knowing it, and without being told by the history of theater - which we now see from a historical point of view was an explosive time.

Acting is not about anything romantic, not even fantasy, although you do create fantasy.

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

Reading was a big thing, yes. Books were a big thing. But the things that stick out were the newspapers.

Before my grandpa built his own church, we went to the neighboring town, and it was a white community. You know, up north, mostly middle European people and Indians, Chippewa Indians. We were welcome to that church, but once we got in, they didn't know what to do with us.

My grandmother though, began to prepare in her own neurotic - and I think psychotic - way to face racism. So she taught us to be racist, which is something I had to undo later when I got to Michigan, you know.