Denzel Washington is one of the most acclaimed and influential actors in the world. Having starred in over 60 different films, he’s managed to win three Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, and has been nominated for and won countless other awards. Needless to say, Denzel Washington is a high achiever whose track record clearly demonstrates his understanding of what it takes to succeed in a big way.

As such, we’ve rounded up some of the most motivational Denzel Washington quotes about success that we could find. Our hope is that they’ll inspire you to believe that anything is possible with the right mindset and work ethic.

So, if you’re ready for the Best Denzel Washington quotes on success and achieving your dreams, then let’s dive right in:

BEST DENZEL WASHINGTON QUOTES ABOUT SUCCESS

1. “You do what you gotta do, until you can do what you want to do.” – Denzel Washington

2. “The chances you take, the people you meet, the people you love, the faith that you have, that’s what’s going to define you.” – Denzel Washingtion

3. “For me, success is inner peace. That’s a good day for me.” – Denzel Washington

4. “Start your day with prayer. Ask for wisdom. Ask for understanding. Don’t aspire to make a living, aspire to make a difference.” – Denzel Washington

5. “Luck is when an opportunity comes along and you’re prepared for it.” – Denzel Washington

6. “Without commitment you’ll never start. Without consistency you’ll never finish.” – Denzel Washington

7. “Faith will get you to a point. Luck will get you to a point. But to achieve the kind of success you dream about, you need to WORK. There are no shortcuts, you can’t cheat life, just get to work and don’t stop until you reach your highest potential.” – Denzel Washington

8. “Nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is on step closer to success.” – Denzel Washington

9. “If you don’t fail, you’re not even trying.” – Denzel Washington

10. “Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship.” – Denzel Washington

11. “You have to grab moments when they happen.” – Denzel Washington

12. “To get something you never had you have to do something you never did.” – Denzel Washington

13. “Just because you don’t share it on social media, doesn’t mean you’re not up to big things. Live it and stay low key. Privacy is everything.” – Denzel Washington

14. “Got to be who you are in this world, no matter what.” – Denzel Washington

15. “Don’t be afraid to fail.” – Denzel Washington

16. “Talent comes from God. If you have been given some, then value it, cultivate it, work and develop it.” – Denzel Washington

17. “At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished… It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” – Denzel Washington

18. “If it was easy, there would be no Denzel Washington.” – Denzel Washington

19. “Don’t be afraid to fail big, to dream big, but remember, dreams without goals are just dreams.” – Denzel Washington

20. “Dreams without goals remain dreams.” – Denzel Washington

21. “Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons.” – Denzel Washington

22. “Acting is just a way of making a living, the family is life.” – Denzel Washington

23. “Between goals and achievement are discipline and consistency.” – Denzel Washington

24. “One failed experiment is one step closer to success.” – Denzel Washington

25. “A wise woman knows the importance of speaking life into her man. If you love him: believe in him, encourage him, and be his peace.” – Denzel Washington

26. “We live in a time when people give up too easily.” – Denzel Washington

27. “Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.” – Denzel Washington

28. “In any profession, it gets to be a grind.” – Denzel Washington

29. “The one thing I am most happy about in terms of my career, is the fact that I got there by the grace of God first of all, but short of that, just by working hard. Not partying with the right people, not compromising myself in anyway, or cutting any kind of deals, just by working hard.” – Denzel Washington

30. “Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.” – Denzel Washington

31. “I am a 20 year one night sensation.” – Denzel Washington

32. “I still have my unemployment books and I remember when I worked for the sanitation department and the post office.” – Denzel Washington

33. “Reggie Jackson struck out 2600 times in his careers, the most in the history of baseball, but you don’t hear about the strikeouts. People remember the homeruns, fall forward.” – Denzel Washington

34. “That’s where the joy is, in helping others, that’s where the success is, in helping others.” – Denzel Washington

35. “You only live once, so do what you are passionate about.” – Denzel Washington

36. “Working really hard is what successful people do.” – Denzel Washington

37. “Just because you are doing a lot more doesn’t mean you are getting a lot more done.” – Denzel Washington

38. “I think a role model is a mentor – someone you see on a daily basis, and you learn from them.” – Denzel Washington

39. “You’ll never see a U-haul behind a hearse, I don’t care how much money you make, you can’t take it with you. The Egyptians tried it, they got robbed, that’s all they got. You can’t take it with you, and it’s not how much you have, it’s what you do with what you have.” – Denzel Washington

40. “Hard work, works.” – Denzel Washington

41. “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.” – Denzel Washington

42. “If I am a cup maker, I’m interested in making the best cup I possibly can. My effort goes into that cup, not what people think about it.” – Denzel Washington

43. “Put God first in everything you do… Everything that I have is by the grace of God, understand that. It’s a gift… I didn’t always stick with Him, but He stuck with me.” – Denzel Washington

44. “If you don’t read the news, you’re uniformed. If you do read the news, you’re misinformed.” – Denzel Washington

45. “In order to change your life you must change your thoughts .” – Denzel Washington

46. “If you think you want to do what you think I’ve done, then do what I’ve done.” – Denzel Washington

47. “Facts: No matter how long it took you to finish a degree. It’s a degree. If it took you 10 failed relationships to find love. You found it. A house bought at the age of 65 is still an accomplishment. Don’t let people bully you with their timeline of success.” – Denzel Washington

48. “My mother never gave up on me. I messed up in school so much they were sending me home, but my mother sent me right back.” – Denzel Washington

49. “I never really had the classic struggle. I had faith.” – Denzel Washington

50. “Don’t confuse movement with progress.” – Denzel Washington

51. “Never help an ungrateful person get up on their feet. It’s like telling a wolf that you’re a sheep.” – Denzel Washington

52. “I’m very proud to be black, but black is not all I am. That’s my cultural historical background, my genetic makeup, but it’s not all of who I am nor is it the basis from which I answer every question.” – Denzel Washington

53. “If you have an enemy, then learn and know your enemy, don’t just be mad at him or her.” – Denzel Washington

54. “I made a commitment to completely cut out drinking and anything that might hamper me from getting my mind and body together. And the floodgates of goodness have opened upon me – spiritually and financially.” – Denzel Washington

55. “Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, or dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by the heart.” – Denzel Washington

56. “I work hard for the audience. It’s entertainment. I don’t need validation.” – Denzel Washington

57. “You can beat or jail me or even kill me, but I am not going to be what you want me to be.” – Denzel Washington

58. “There’s nothing good or bad, except by comparison.”  – Denzel Washington

59. “When you don’t understand something, you label it and condemn it.” – Denzel Washington

60. “You gotta practice, it’s too late when the game starts.” – Denzel Washington

61. “My faith helps me understand that circumstances don’t dictate my happiness, my inner peace.” – Denzel Washington

62. “We’ve all received our share of good fortune, so that’s my definition of much. A single blessing is all the bounty in the world, and if you’ve been blessed at all you’re meant to pass some of that on. You’re meant to set a positive example. That’s our responsibility” – Denzel Washington

63. “I’d be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I’d been given. I’d be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.” – Denzel Washington

64. “I think a role model is a mentor – someone you see on a daily basis, and you learn from them.” – Denzel Washington

65. “Goals on the road to achievement can not be achieved without discipline and consistency.” – Denzel Washington

66. “The more opinions there are of me, the less I look at them. Because I just can’t live my life based on what other people think about me. I can’t concern myself too much with what other people think, it’s just not healthy.” – 65. “Goals on the road to achievement can not be achieved without discipline and consistency.” – Denzel Washington

67. “Anything you want good, you can have, so claim it. Work hard to get it. When you get it, reach back, pull someone else up. Each one, teach one.” – Denzel Washington

68. “The most important choices I’ve made, was to say no.” – Denzel Washington

69. “Stick to your guns. If you don’t feel like you should do it, don’t do it.’ – Denzel Washington

70. “Keep working, keep striving, never give up. Fall down seven times, get up eight.” – Denzel Washington

71. “Man gives you the award but God gives you the reward.” – Denzel Washington

72. “One of the most important decisions you can say as an actor/actress is saying NO. Is saying NO, you don’t have to take your clothes off if you don’t want to.” – Denzel Washington

73. “You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too.” – Denzel Washington

74. “I was given this ability to act and direct and do these things. But I remember my natural ability would only take me so far. So I knew I had to study more I had to dig deeper, and I had to go learn more. So that’s what I did, and it’s paid off.” – Denzel Washington

75. “If you want to be a warrior, you have to train.” – Denzel Washington

76. “Fame is a monster, you know. And we all have these ladders and battles, roads we have to walk in our given lives. Be you famous, or whoever is out there listening. We all have our individual challenges. It’s cliché money don’t make it better, it don’t. Fame just magnifies the problems and the opportunities.” – Denzel Washington

77. “I never looked at things as problems, I look at them as opportunities.” – Denzel Washington

Bonus Denzel Washington Quote

Bonus:

“The Most Selfish Thing I’ve Done In My Life, Is GIVE… Because Of The Joy I Get From It.”

– denzel washington –