Yolanda King Quotes

You always want to break away from your parents, and you always think, 'I'm never going to be like that guy.' What I've discovered is you kind of wind up becoming your parents, which is also a cliche in itself. My father, despite the fact that he's been dead for over 25 years, he's been a huge influence on me.

I deliberately try to carry a different perception of myself as opposed to my father's. I respect my dad and his body of work, but I can't give him credit for what I am today. As a person, I give my parents full credit; career-wise, no.

You grow up to become living proof of your parents' limitations. Their less-than masterpiece.

You either become like your parents or you become the opposite of your parents. And I like to think that I'm the opposite of my parents.

I want to be the dad that my father never was.

I'm coming to that realization that I'm going to be seen as a mom to someone, and it makes you think about your own parents. You know, who were they?

I used to sort of consider myself a feminist, an environmentalist, and I still have some of that in me, but I've done so many offensive comedies, I'm now worn down to a little nub of... nub of an activist.

I have a complex heritage: my mom is African American, and my dad is Jewish. Both were activists, and they met during the movement in the '70s.

The harder you try to become the opposite of your parents, the more quickly you become them.

I don't see myself as an activist. I understand that people, with me doing 'Satyameva Jayate,' for example, they will feel that I'm being an activist, but I'm not. Actually, I'm not, because I think an activist, as I see it, as a person who is very, very - takes up one issue and remains with that one issue for his entire life. I'm not doing that.

I'm not inherently the most politically or, like, socially conscious rapper, you know? You're not just going to wake up tomorrow and be Common.

My mom sacrificed everything for my brother and me. She taught me so many things - about life, love, faith, ambition, and family - and she instilled in me the desire to have my own kids one day.

My friends were dropping like flies, and the government wasn't doing anything. You don't watch an entire generation take water hoses and dogs on the front line during the '60s or watch another generation perish from AIDS and then get to drive around in big cars and do nothing.

I need to get a tiny bit more 'woke.'

I've heard, 'You're not your father.' Well, you're right. I'm not. We've had two different careers.

I'd love to challenge myself and play characters that overcome experiences like homelessness or abuse, because social justice is really important to me.

I am the younger version of my father. I try to be as normal as I can.

I feel like I was kind of raised to be mechanical, like, 'Hi, I'm Brooke Hogan. I'm Hulk Hogan's daughter. I like cookies and sunshine.'

It's funny, I see my dad in myself when I say certain things or I do certain things. I'll say, 'That was my dad right there.'

I think there is a time in every person's life where they have to let their parents go and figure out what being a parent means for themselves.

My drama teacher when I was a kid called me 'Zawe the activist' and I had no idea why. Now I've got older I can see why she always saw that in me.

I was very engaged in my communities throughout college, but I never thought of it as political.

He doesn't know how to be warmer. I can't blame him. My dad had to deal with more stuff than I ever did.

I was 14 when the Democratic convention in my hometown of Chicago erupted into violence. It was a tough year.

I always thought I was more of a mommy's boy, because she was charming, talkative, a great storyteller. But as I dug back into my past, I realized I am exactly like my father on so many levels, although I never thought I inherited anything from him.