Remembering Chadwick Boseman: 10 Inspiring Quotes

Here are 10 quotes to embolden us, inspire us and help us remember award-winning actor Chadwick Boseman.

Award-winning actor Chadwick Boseman passed away at age 43 on August 28, 2020, after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Boseman, who was mentored by such Hollywood legends as Denzel Washington and Phylicia Rashad, inspired millions with his memorable portrayals of heroic figures, from King T’Challa, the Black Panther, to Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and James Brown.

Here are 10 Chadwick Boseman quotes to embolden us, inspire us and help us remember this man who made a difference.

Chadwick Boseman

1 of 10

“Right now I urge you in your breath, in your eyes, in your consciousness, invest in the importance of this moment and cherish it… So savor the taste of your triumphs today. Don’t just swallow the moment whole without digesting what has actually happened here. Look down over what you conquered and appreciate what God has brought you through.”—Howard University Commencement Speech 2018


Chadwick Boseman (left) and Sterling K. Brown in a scene from 'Marshall'

2 of 10

“I think you realize how much you need to have people that you love. It’s not as much about them loving you—it’s about you needing to love people.”—GQ interview

Chadwick Boseman in a scene from '42'

3 of 10

“Inhale and exhale this moment, and thank God for the unique beauties and wonders of this day. We should take advantage of every moment we can to enjoy the simplicity of God’s creation, whether it be clear skies and sun or clouded over with gloom.”—Twitter, texts shared by Josh Gad


Chad Boseman

4 of 10

“Nobody has to give me permission to write.”—New York Vulture interview


Chadwick Boseman

5 of 10

“That shows that when you pray for something, it can actually happen. And that is powerful!”—Insights Magazine interview


Chadwick Boseman in a scene from 21 Bridges

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“Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you can really figure out what your fight is and how you need to fight it. When I dared to challenge the systems that would relegate us to victims and stereotypes with no clear historical backgrounds, no hopes or talents, when I questioned that method of portrayal, a different path opened up for me—a path to my destiny. When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it.”—Washington Post, Howard University Commencement Speech Transcript 2018


Chadwick Boseman in a scene from Black Panther

7 of 10

“When it comes down to it, I’d rather have an action figure than a Golden Globe.”—Santa Barbara Independent interview

Chadwick Boseman as Jameas Brown in a scene from 'Get On Up'

8 of 10

“The number-one rule of acting is: Do not seek approval from the audience. People don’t realize that. You can’t do stuff to get applause. You have to live in the truth.”—G&G Magazine interview


Chadwick Boseman in a scene from '42'

9 of 10

“Thank you God for not just winning. Thank you God for the trials and tribulations that you allow us to go through so we can appreciate these moments. So we can appreciate the joy that comes from winning.”—NAACP Image Awards speech for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, 2019


Chadwick Boseman in a scene from 'Marshall'

10 of 10

“We know what it’s like to be told there’s not a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on. We know what it’s like to be the tail, but not the head. We know what it’s like to be beneath, but not above. And that is what we went to work with every day. Because we knew not that we would be around during awards season or that it would make a billion dollars, but we knew that we had something special that we wanted to give the world—that we could be full human beings in the roles that we were playing. That we could create a world that exemplified a world that we wanted to see.”—Screen Actors Guild Awards speech for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, 2019

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