Quote Of The Day By Viola Davis: 'Ownership Is About Owning Yourself...'

Viola Davis has courted critical acclaim in roles such as "Doubt" and "The Help," but the woman behind these memorable performances is just as compelling. The actor was born in South Carolina on August 11, 1965, and raised in Rhode Island as one of six siblings. In her memoir "Finding Me," she opened up about the adversity she experienced in her childhood, as she endured poverty, racism, and trauma on the road to becoming the star she's known as today.

Davis began acting during her school career, going on to earn a degree in theater from Rhode Island College in 1988 and graduate from the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in 1993. She then made her mark in theater, appearing in projects like "Seven Guitars," before gaining fame for her work on the big screen. The Hollywood figure is also well-known for portraying the brilliant and complicated Annalise Keating in the Shonda Rhimes series "How To Get Away With Murder."

Davis is one of a small number of celebrities to earn an EGOT, an acronym denoting the four major entertainment awards in North America. She took home Tony Awards for two different productions for "King Hedley II" in 2001 and then "Fences" in 2010.In 2015, Davis earned an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her performance in "How To Get Away with Murder." The celeb was later won an Oscar (and Golden Globe) for her role in the film adaptation of "Fences" in 2017.  She secured her EGOT with a Grammy in 2023, winning the award for Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording for her memoir, "Finding Me." Throughout her inspiring journey, Davis shared some thought-provoking words that are undoubtedly worthy of being the quote of the day.

Viola Davis sat down for a Zoom interview with InStyle in 2020, discussing her work on the film "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and her experience during the Covid-19 lockdown. The conversation also included some interesting reflections on Viola's career and her perception of authenticity. "I think the whole notion of ownership in womanhood has to deal with how we look," she said. "And it's only until you reach about my age, 55, that you have the powerful understanding that ownership is about owning yourself. It's owning your failures, owning your insecurities, and understanding that it's a part of life."

Davis is speaking to multiple aspects of her experience in her quote about ownership. She shared the words after mentioning how beauty standards differ in white and Black culture, explaining that she grew up surrounded by women who embraced their bodies. "[Ma Rainey] also really reminds me of the women I grew up with, all my aunties and relatives, the people who were bigger in stature whom I saw as so beautiful," she said.

So, when the actor connects ownership to appearance, she's speaking to the importance of celebrating natural beauty in defiance of the status quo. Later in the interview, she mentions an experience that further contextualizes this idea, explaining that she grew up with peers who were predominately white. While she initially attempted to conform to the "Farrah Fawcett look," she learned that she could only truly be herself.

Viola Davis further extends this idea of ownership to experiences, explaining that she's learned with age the role that personal obstacles play in the grand scheme of things. Instead of rejecting mistakes and insecurities, she accepts them as part of her story. "A lot of times we have those hiccups in the road, and we spend an awful amount of time — years — trying to sweep them under the rug instead of understanding that they're a part of the joy," she continued.

Davis added that those in the public eye are especially encouraged to put on a facade rather than be open about personal vulnerabilities. Clearly, the star is choosing to combat such notions by practicing ownership in candid interviews and in her transparent memoir "Finding Me." For others, the quote serves as a reminder of the importance of self-acceptance and authenticity, both in terms of embracing appearance and accepting the past.

• "When you haven't had enough to eat, when your electricity and heat is cut off, you're not afraid anymore when someone tells you life is going to be hard. The fear factor was minimized for me. My dreams were bigger than the fear."

• "When we tell our stories, we want to be inspirational and make people love us. But that's not owning your story...My story made me who I am, and who I am is someone I am beginning to love."

• "They tell you to develop a thick skin so things don't get to you. What they don't tell you is that your thick skin will keep everything from getting out, too. Love, intimacy, vulnerability. I don't want that. Thick skin doesn't work anymore. I want to be transparent and translucent. For that to work, I won't own other people's shortcomings and criticisms. I won't put what you say about me on my load."

• "I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.' Because that's what I've learned in the foxhole: What gets you through life is strength of character and strength of spirit and love."

• "I feel like my entire life has been a protest. My production company is my protest. Me not wearing a wig at the Oscars in 2012 was my protest. It is a part of my voice, just like introducing myself to you and saying, 'Hello, my name is Viola Davis.'"