Hill Harper Quotes

“You can't be free if the cost of being you is too high.”

— Hill Harper

“Once you have a felony conviction on your record, one of the most difficult things to do is to break the cycle of recidivism.”

— Hill Harper

“Whatever your calling is as a service, follow it - that's beautiful.”

— Hill Harper

You can't build anything with a flimsy foundation. Friendship is the foundation.

— Hill Harper

“All work and no play make any forensic pathologist a dull boy.”

— Hill Harper

Intimacy can be about holding someone's hand. It could be about stroking their hair.

— Hill Harper

“My favorite vacation spot is a beautiful beach. I've been to many, many beaches on many continents: Mombasa, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, Mexico and the U.S. What's beautiful about beach communities is for whatever reason, they feel like vacation to me.”

— Hill Harper

“What I've found in doing research is that men want a relationship that feels fun. In other words, they want a relationship that has qualities or elements of their same-sex relationships - just like women do, too.”

— Hill Harper

“Certainly, those of us in the entertainment industry, we are part of creating fear in people - 'fear' for me stands for 'false evidence appearing real.' We create fantasy, and in certain ways that's wonderful because it allows people to escape. But it can suck people into wanting to achieve something that isn't real.”

— Hill Harper

“If you can't get excited about living life, then what are you doing?”

— Hill Harper

“I'm not telling anyone, 'Quit your job and be homeless to go for your dream.'”

— Hill Harper

“When I was dealing with cancer, I was working on a book about finances. I realized that the same methodology that the doctors were using to cure me, you could use to cure your finances. Health and wealth are so linked, it's amazing.”

— Hill Harper

The best way to protect young black, brown, men of color, women of color, is to actually stop profiling, stop the prejudice, and stop the judgment first.

— Hill Harper

“My undergraduate studies at Brown and graduate degrees from Harvard prepared me for a multifaceted career as an actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.”

— Hill Harper

“Credit card interest payments are the dumbest money of all.”

— Hill Harper

When it comes to African Americans and African American actors, Hollywood has always felt that if you can make us laugh, that's fine, but we don't need to see you do a 'Schindler's List,' where there's no jokes or music or comedic through-line.

— Hill Harper

“You deserve a great life. I want to see you become unreasonably happy. And you can. And you will.”

— Hill Harper

“I've made money in real estate, hotel, and restaurant investments.”

— Hill Harper

“I think the number one safe haven where people put their money is to invest in yourself first.”

— Hill Harper

“I'm not excusing crime or those who bring poison into the community, but I do want brothers and sisters in prison to know someone cares.”

— Hill Harper

People always want to think that because you're not from a certain circumstance, you can't relate. That's ridiculous.

— Hill Harper

“You can't have justice unless you have truth.”

— Hill Harper

Even when you're out with someone, you need to get out of your head. And you can try exercises by putting yourself in situations where you may not feel completely comfortable, like going to a gallery opening on your own.

— Hill Harper

“My first two books, 'Letters to a Young Brother' and 'Letters to a Young Sister,' were ... distributed pretty widely. Judges in juvenile justice facilities started citing the book as required reading.”

— Hill Harper

“Part of getting other people to focus on the future rather than being myopically focused on the present is about living that way yourself and showing that you can make choices today that are about future outcomes and still be having a great time into the present and enjoying your life.”

— Hill Harper

Part of the problem in today's world is that many men are taught that they have to 'make it' before they should even consider committed to a healthy partnership.

— Hill Harper

Obviously, this whole 'no child left behind' idea is more rhetoric than actual practice.

— Hill Harper

“Many of us are in are in our own prisons that aren't made of iron bars.”

— Hill Harper

“Without writers, none of the entertainment would exist. It starts with writers. Writers are the most important piece of the entire puzzle.”

— Hill Harper

“My parents both are physicians, and my grandfathers were both physicians.”

— Hill Harper

“People always think about what prison is. What prison really is - it's not a physical challenge, it's mental.”

— Hill Harper

“Roles make the actor.”

— Hill Harper

“Screening for colon cancer can stop cancer in its tracks.”

— Hill Harper

“There's nothing wrong with wanting a partner and doing the things to have one. To protect ourselves, we have to say, 'I don't need one.'”

— Hill Harper

“We all have choices we have to make, and with those choices come certain sacrifices.”

— Hill Harper

“You're writing your life as you go - the question becomes, how do you want to write your life?”

— Hill Harper

“For me, self-esteem-building and confidence-building is the foundation for anything that we do, whether you want to be a writer, a painter, or a entrepreneur.”

— Hill Harper

“Let me tell you, if you're ever making a decision and the principle reason you'll do it is because of money, then it is absolutely the incorrect decision.”

— Hill Harper

At the end of a down day on Wall Street, we all need to be able to sleep peacefully at night. That comfort won't come from our bank balance.

— Hill Harper

“I think, without question, the way someone plays sports shows something about inherently who they are, you know?”

— Hill Harper

“You're in a situation where you have limited education opportunities, you don't have any money, you can't get a job; what are you going to do? You're going to go back to this criminal network that you actually made while you were in prison.”

— Hill Harper

“Gabrielle Union is my best friend.”

— Hill Harper

“Here's the deal: I believe - and I attempt to live my life this way - we all have more time than we think we do. We all waste so much time.”

— Hill Harper

“I love being athletic and doing things that are active, even when I'm traveling.”

— Hill Harper

“I studied theater in college, and I absolutely knew that I loved acting, and I knew that I loved theater.”

— Hill Harper

It's heartening when people hear for the first time that their vote really matters.

— Hill Harper

“Most people aren't honest with themselves about money.”

— Hill Harper

“On 'CSI: NY,' the audience knew I was a really good guy, and I caught the bad guy.”

— Hill Harper

People are afraid of an unorganized, wasteful government.

— Hill Harper

“People listen for cues - when they are searching for a decision, they look to people they know. Young people can be apathetic in certain ways unless they hear from someone they like and admire about why they should be engaged and involved. If someone you love is doing a rally or concert, you may be engaged to register.”

— Hill Harper