Today pioneering actor Sidney Poitier celebrated his 90th birthday. Poitier is an award-winning actor, director, and author who, in 1964, became the first Black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Lilies of the Field. Throughout his career, he has received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor (awarded by President Obama in 2009). With his 90th birthday, Poitier remains the oldest living Best Actor Oscar winner. Here are nine of his most inspirational quotes to celebrate his milestone 90th birthday.
1. "A person doesn't have to change who he is to become better."
2. "Forgiveness works two ways, in most instances. People have to forgive themselves too. The powerful have to forgive themselves for their behavior. That should be a sacred process."
3. "I defend myself by improving myself."
4. "As a man, I've been representative of the values I hold dear. And the values I hold dear are carryovers from the lives of my parents."
5. "I wouldn't change a single thing, because one change alters every moment that follows it."
6. "I always wanted to be someone better the next day than I was the day before."
7. "A good deed here, a good deed there, a good thought here, a good comment there, all added up to my career in one way or another."
8. "If the image one holds of one's self contains elements that don't square with reality, one is best advised to let go of them, however difficult that may be."
9. "I am the me I choose to be."
