Excerpt: The iconic Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman died at age 43. This list of 25 Chadwick Boseman quotes will help you remember his life and legacy.
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Introduction: Living Your Best Life Despite Your Struggles
“The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
Chadwick Boseman, the iconic Black Panther star died at age 43 after a 4-year battle with colon cancer. He was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, battled it until it progressed to stage IV, and up until it ended up taking his life in 2020. And like so many others, I knew nothing about his cancer or that he was even sick at all.
What’s most notable is that, not only did he keep his cancer on the low for the most part, but during the time he was battling it he gave us Civil War, Marshall, Black Panther, Infinity War, Endgame, 21 Bridges and Da 5 Bloods. An incredibly remarkable feat when you consider they all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. Talk about a real life “superhero.”
As suggested in his own quote above, these struggles that must have been significant for him to endure, only shined a greater light on his character and purpose. He was someone who embodied the characteristics of a superhero beyond all of the special effects, scripting, acting, and choreography. He was a person who exemplified indomitable spirit and lived to his potential during the time he had on earth—short as it was. And he is a person who will undoubtedly be remembered for it.
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May Chadwick Rest In Peace and may we forever remember his legacy and the roles that he played in shaping our society. From King T-Challa, to Jackie Robinson, to Thurgood Marshall, to James Brown—he left behind a legacy that impacted the lives of millions. And it was on August 29th, 2020 that his family reported that he died in his home, with his wife and family by his side. May his next journey in what’s beyond this life be one that is just as inspiring as this one was.
Below, you will find our list of not only memorable, but remarkable Chadwick Boseman quotes that were collected from speeches, interviews, and movies that he starred in from throughout his life and career. In his honor, this collection was organized to capture some of his most poignant and captivating thoughts to help carry on his legacy of confronting challenges, working incredibly hard, staying humble and gracious, and holding up to the highest of standards—after his passing.
It’s a powerful collection of quotes that will leave a tangible impression on you by the time you finish reading them—I’m confident of that. Chadwick was nothing short of a great man and his legacy will forever be remembered in the minds of millions. And maybe by the time you finish reading this list today, part of that legacy will carry on through you, too? May he Rest In Peace and may you continue to be inspired by him and his words even after his death.
The List: 25 Remarkable Chadwick Boseman Quotes on Struggle, Work Ethic, Authenticity, and Life
“Everybody is the hero in their own story—you should be the hero in your own story. You should see yourself conquering the dramatic action of whatever you’re trying to do so that when you get to crisis, you know how to deal with it. You should be able to do that. There are people that come in to help you with your story, but you have to be the person who deals with the conflicts that are in place. Even if you pray to God, God expects you to do some things.”
Chadwick Boseman, The Daily Show
“At this moment, most of you need some realizations because right now you have some big decisions to make. Right now, I urge you to—in your breath, in your eyes, in your consciousness—invest in the importance of this moment. And cherish it.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“I don’t know what your future is, but if you’re willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory—than you will not regret it.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“Sometimes your grades don’t give a real indication of what your greatness might be.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“You would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason that you’re on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“Sometimes you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose that God predestined inside of you.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“Sometimes you have to get knocked down before you can really figure out what your fight is and how you need to fight it.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“When completing a long climb one first experiences dizziness, disorientation, and shortness of breathe due to the high altitude. But once you become accustomed to the climb, your mind opens up to the tranquility of the triumph. Often times, the mind is flooded with realizations that were, for some reason, harder to come to when you were at a lower elevation.”
Chadwick Boseman, Commencement Speech (2018)
“Sometimes that’s the irony of life that during the most difficult moments you look back on it and you realized how much you enjoyed it—how much you could celebrate it.”
Chadwick Boseman, Tribute Movies
“What they don’t realize is the greatest conflict you will ever face will be the conflict with yourself.”
Chadwick Boseman, Time
“That’s why you have the people around you because they represent different parts of you. You get to hear your arguments that are happening internally amongst them.”
Chadwick Boseman, DP/30: The Oral History of Hollywood
“There’s this thing—if you’re making movies and you’re doing well—people start to say, oh, he’s the next Denzel or he’s that. Making your success be based upon the idea that there can only be one of you [one black actor]. We, as actors, we talk about this. We talk about how debilitating that is—how negative it is. It’s also frightening to a certain degree because it divides and conquers—it puts us against each other. So, I root for everybody because I know that if they do well [other black actors], the truth is, it presents an opportunity for me.”
Chadwick Boseman, The Off The Camera Show
“You can say you worked hard, but you can’t say you deserved it. You can say you wished for it and prayed for it, but you can’t say you made it happen.”
Chadwick Boseman, DP/30: The Oral History of Hollywood
“There’s actually a couple of kids that I’ve connected with while I was shooting Black Panther and I would literally, when I was tired, I would just think of them [the kids]. Think about them seeing the movie.”
Chadwick Boseman, The View
“There are two little kids, Ian and Taylor, who recently passed from cancer. And throughout our filming [of Black Panther] I was communicating with them knowing that they were both terminal. What their parents said to me was that they’re just trying to hold on until this movie comes. To a certain degree, you hear them say that and you’re like, ‘Wow—I gotta get up and go to the gym; I gotta go to work; I gotta learn these lines; I gotta work on these accents.’ It’s a humbling experience because you’re like, ‘This can’t mean that much to them,’ but seeing how the world has taken this on and how it’s taken on a life of its own—I realized that they anticipated something great. And I think back now to a kid waiting for Christmas to come, waiting for a birthday to come, waiting for a toy that I was going to get to experience, or a video game—I did live life waiting for those moments. And so it put me back into the mindset of being a kid.”
Chadwick Boseman, Sway’s Universe
“To be young, gifted and Black. We all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place for you to be featured. Yet you are young, gifted and Black. 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 and not the head. We know what it’s like to be beneath and not above. That is what we went to work with every day. Because 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.”
Chadwick Boseman, SAG Awards
Best Chadwick Boseman Movie Quotes
“I will not abandon someone to die, when I have the means to save his life.”
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Black Panther (2018)
“Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We can not. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.”
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Black Panther (2018)
“Today, we don’t fight for just one life. We fight for all of them.”
T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
“The Constitution was not written for us. We know that. But no matter what it takes, we’re going to make it work for us. From now on, we claim it as our own.”
Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman), Marshall (2017)
“In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a stepping off point. You reach out with both hands and Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into a green veld where you can run forever.”
Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Captain America: Civil War (2016)
“I ain’t your baby, not then, not now. I look after James Brown. You want to know me, I’ll tell you. My daddy in the army. My mamma left. No one else helped me. No one else.”
James Brown (Chadwick Boseman), Get On Up (2014)
“I don’t care if they like me. I didn’t come here to make friends. I don’t even care if they respect me. I know who I am. I’ve got enough respect for myself. I do not want them to beat me.”
Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), 42 (2013)
“I don’t think it matters what I believe, only what I do.”
Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), 42 (2013)
“(Branch Rickey): I want a player who’s got the guts not to fight back. People aren’t gonna like this. They’re gonna do anything to get you to react. Echo a curse with a curse and, uh, they’ll hear only yours. Follow a blow with a blow and they’ll say, “The Negro lost his temper.” That “The Negro does not belong.” Your enemy will be out in force… and you cannot meet him on his own low ground. We win with hitting, running, fielding. Only that. We win if the world is convinced of two things: That you are a fine gentleman and a great baseball player. Like our Savior… you gotta have the guts… to turn the other cheek. Can you do it? | (Jackie Robinson): You give me a uniform… you give me a, heh, number on my back… and I’ll give you the guts.”
Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), 42 (2013)
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Written by Matt Hogan
Founder of MoveMe Quotes. On a mission to help busy people do inner work—for better mental health; for healing; for personal growth. Find me on Twitter / IG / Medium. I also share daily insights here. 🌱
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