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Tavis Smiley Quotes

Talk show host

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host, author, and radio host, born on September 13, 1964. He has been a prominent figure in the media industry for over two decades, known for his engaging interviews and thought-provoking discussions on a wide range of topics, including politics, social issues, and culture.

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All People Thinking World Black Ifs Country Knows Believe Stills Want

Famous Tavis Smiley Quotes

“The City of Angels is a microcosm of the world, and so living in L.A. makes me feel like a citizen of the world.”

World Feels Cities Citizens Angel Microcosm City Of Angels

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Be careful about gossiping because loose lips really do sink ships.”

Lips Careful Ships Be Careful

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Sometimes even your friends don't understand your calling, your purpose, your vocation. But you have to stand in your truth anyway, and they will eventually come around to understanding you, if you do it lovingly.”

Ifs Sometimes Purpose Understanding Calling Vocation Understanding You

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I feel blessed to be in the broadcast business for 20 years. I believe that when you're this blessed, you have an obligation to pay it forward. That's what life is all about ultimately.”

Feels Years Believe Life Is I Believe Pay Blessed Obligation Pay It Forward

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I don't think I'd live anything over, even though I've made a lot of mistakes. I have learned how to see failure as a friend. So, I'm not one to live a life of regrets. I try to learn from my mistakes, but I'll take my life the way it is.”

Thinking Way Trying Made Mistake Regret I Have Learned My Mistakes Learn From My Mistakes

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I don't want the Obama era to be more about symbolism than substance when it comes to black people. I love him, but I love black people even more.”

People Want Black Eras Substance Black People Symbolism I Love Him

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I believe there is nothing we endure in life that you can't recover from. Failure is not fatal. Everyone has the capacity to fail up.”

Believe I Believe Failing Capacity Endure

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Even behind bars, even on Death Row, you can fail up, because life is about committing ourselves on a daily basis to the best in us. Freedom is a state of mind. Freedom is an attitude. Freedom is a spirit. You may be behind bars, but you still have the capacity to be free.”

Mind May Stills States Life Is Spirit Behinds Attitude Failing Capacity Bases Bars State Of Mind Death Row Mind Freedom

Author:Tavis Smiley

“There are really only two types of people. Either you're running scared or you're running free. I choose to run free, and you can, too, no matter what your circumstances in life.”

People Two Matter Running Type Circumstances No Matter What Scared Running Scared Running Free

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Be careful about gossiping because loose lips really do sink ships. Now that I'm in the broadcast business, and people talk about me, I know what it feels like to be the victim of gossip.”

People Victim Careful Gossip Be Careful

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I believed that President Obama was a good choice a couple of years ago because I felt that, as a black man, if he could win, it would open up progressive possibilities in this country for a lot of people. That was my major reason for believing his candidacy was a good thing. However, I don't endorse candidates, given the type of work that I do. My job is to hold people accountable.”

People Men Believe Country Reason Choices Winning Black President Possibility Couple Good Things Progressive President Obama Old People Good Choices

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Life is about committing ourselves on a daily basis to the best in us. Freedom is a state of mind. Freedom is an attitude. Freedom is a spirit. You may be behind bars, but you still have the capacity to be free. I've visited some people behind bars who are freer than Negroes I see running around every day. Being in jail, or poor, or uneducated doesn't determine how free you can be. There are really only two types of people. Either you're running scared or you're running free. I choose to run free, and you can, too, no matter what your circumstances in life.”

People Mind Running Spirit Poor Attitude Circumstances Determine Scared State Of Mind Uneducated

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I'm always fascinated by people from the Midwest, because it is so different than Hollywood, who discover at some point that they want to be in Hollywood.”

People Different

Author:Tavis Smiley

“We give you the facts. I told you information is power - knowledge is power. We can't be in an ideological battle to redeem the soul of this country if we don't have the facts.”

Ifs Giving Soul Country Facts Information Battle Ideological Knowledge Is Power Information Is Power

Author:Tavis Smiley

“The storm came. Lives were washed away. Ancient pains resurfaced. Now it is time for a sea of change.”

Pain Sea Ancient Storm Storms Coming

Author:Tavis Smiley

“This administration and these folk who run Washington are no more interested in our welfare and our well being than the man on the moon. And we have got to start taking our destiny into our hands.”

Men Wells Hands Running Destiny Moon Folks Administration Well Being Welfare Our Destiny

Author:Tavis Smiley

“The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we leave.”

Kind Choices Determine Legacy

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Capitalism is like a child: if you want the child to grow up free and productive, somebody's got to look over the shoulder of that child.”

Ifs Want Looks Children Grows Growing Up Capitalism Shoulders Productive

Author:Tavis Smiley

“When you work for something, you appreciate it more. So what are y'all going to do with all the opportunities you inherited that you didn't have to work for?”

Opportunity Appreciate

Author:Tavis Smiley

“My role on television is one of helping people reexamine the assumptions that they hold. I regard Dr. King. You would never hear me get up and speak without in some way, shape or form, referencing, Dr. King.”

People Way Helping Form Speak Roles Television Kings Shapes Regard Get Up Assumption Drs Helping People Smiley Referencing

Author:Tavis Smiley

“How do you grow up in the shadow of a guy - I want to talk about the movie in a second - but how do you grow up in the shadow of a guy who really is a legend in his own time?”

Want Guy Grows Growing Up Shadow Legends

Author:Tavis Smiley

“The data is going to indicate sadly that when the Obama administration is over, black people will have lost ground in every single leading economic indicator category.”

People Lost Black Economic Administration Data Categories Black People Indicators

Author:Tavis Smiley

“History is replete with examples of moments in time when we talk about deficit reduction and try to advance on it around the world, that is, where it leads to job losses, not job creation.”

World Trying Moments Jobs Loss Example Creation Around The World Deficit Reduction Moments In Time Job Creation Budget Deficit Job Loss

Author:Tavis Smiley

“In some states, not even 50 percent of black boys finish high school.”

States School Black Boys Percent High School Black Boy

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I still think in this country, and this might surprise you, the one thing that George Bush said as president that I do agree with, I love that phrase, "the soft bigotry of low expectations."”

Thinking Said Stills Country Might President One Thing Lows Expectations Agree Surprise Phrases Bigotry Low Expectations

Author:Tavis Smiley

“That is still the case in this country for too many students, the soft bigotry of low expectations. If you don't expect them to learn, if you don't expect them to succeed - then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

Ifs Stills Self Country Cases Students Succeed Lows Expectations Bigotry Fulfilling Prophecy Self Fulfilling Prophecy Low Expectations

Author:Tavis Smiley

“This whole notion of a post racial America was nonsense from the very beginning. It was a bad idea, a bad notion, a bad formulation when it was first raised.”

Firsts Ideas Whole America Raised Notion Posts Nonsense Bad Ideas

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Take your focus off how others see you. Cease being obsessed with the need to impress your friends and your foes. Keep your concern on the vision you see in the mirror. Don’t allow the approval of others to obstruct your view of you.”

Needs Views Vision Focus Concern Mirrors Cease Obsessed Approval Impress Foe Approval Of Others

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Leonard Pitts, Jr. is the most insightful and inspiring columnist of his generation.”

Generations Insightful Columnists

Author:Tavis Smiley

“To be clear, the gap between the have gots and the have nots is widening. In this most multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic America ever, that concerns me.”

America Clear Concern Gaps Multicultural Multiracial

Author:Tavis Smiley

“Why don't we scale up those things that do work.”

Author:Tavis Smiley

“I believe if we make black America better, we make all of America better.”

Ifs Believe America I Believe Black Black America

Author:Tavis Smiley

“What determines your altitude in life is your attitude.”

Life Is Attitude Determine

Book:On Air

Source: On Air

“Don't envy someone else's gift. Discover your own.”

Book:Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure

Source: Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure

“When it comes to the president, we have to respect him, we have to protect him, and we have to correct him. And in my career, since he'd been on the national stage at least, I've had - I've always respected the president.”

President Careers Stage Protect

Author:Tavis Smiley

About the Author

Born: September 13, 1964
Known for: Talk show host
Quotes: 85

Related Topics

People Thinking World Black Ifs Country Knows Believe Stills Want

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from FailureRelated source material

On AirRelated source material

The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty ManifestoRelated source material

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