I was raised by a lady that was crippled all her life but she did everything for me and she raised me. She washed our clothes cooked our food she did everything for us. I don't think I ever heard her complain a day in her life. She taught me responsibility towards my brother and sisters and the community.

My mom who's been in the restaurant business for 40 years is the number-one influence in my life. But I look up to a lot of people in the industry. Tops on my list is Mario Batali. My mom and Mario taught me the same lesson: Food is love.

Somehow we can't live outside the politics of race. There's something very deep in all of us that is taught to us when we are very very little. Which is the disrespect and fear of the other.

You always fear when you're making a movie that has a moral to the story that people are going to reject the idea of being taught a lesson.

I write for those women who do not speak for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us but it won't.

I'm learning as I go. I don't know everything. I never had anybody to look at nobody ever taught me and where I'm from I didn't have any famous role models.

I grew up in a family of strong women and I owe any capacity I have to understand women to my mother and big sister. They taught me to respect women in a way where I've always felt a strong emotional connection to women which has also helped me in the way I approach my work as an actor.

My own mother always taught me that fairness was a family value - I think equal pay is about fairness for everyone.

Growing up I was taught that a man has to defend his family. When the wolf is trying to get in you gotta stand in the doorway.

My wife my family my friends - they've all taught me things about love and what that emotion really means. In a nutshell loving someone is about giving not receiving.