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One of the greatest pieces of advice I've ever gotten in my life was from my mom. When I was a little kid there was a kid who was bugging me in school. And she said, 'Okay, I'm going to tell you what to do.' She said, 'This kid's bugging you. He puts his hands on you, you pick up the nearest rock, or whatever you can get your hands on, and you lay him out.' And I did! And I felt better. And it worked... So, for me, that was a great lesson because someone had invaded my space; invaded my being, you know, and was doing something against me that I didn't want to be done. So I took control of the situation and ran with it. And many years later, after being turned into a product by a very huge corporation that had their hands all over me and I couldn't escape it, I promised myself that I would continue to move forward and do my best not to compromise in any way whatsoever; not allow anyone to put their hands on me and affect me in that way. So that's the best advice that I could give, is just to keep moving forward, and don't give a shit what anybody thinks, you know. Just keep moving forward and do what you have to do for you.

Johnny Depp#167

IntegrityBoundariesCorporateSelf defense

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker learned to defend their personal space physically when bullied, and later applied that same principle of non-compromise to corporate pressures.
In plain terms
Stand up for yourself when someone crosses your boundaries, whether it is a bully or a big company.
What can you take from it?
Take control when your space or integrity is invaded.

Where it applies

  • school bullying
  • corporate negotiation
  • personal boundaries

Putting it to work

  • assert physical boundaries
  • refuse corporate compromise
  • take control of situations

Questions to consider

  • How do you define your personal boundaries?
  • When is it right to fight back?

Another view

Physical retaliation can lead to escalation or legal trouble.

More from Johnny Depp

  1. I've always liked everybody. [Laughs.] I'm not sure everybody likes me.

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  2. I love our house in the country. I can walk to the nearby village and have a coffee and no one pays any notice. I'm just another dad with my daughter on my kne…

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  3. Lance Hallstrom (the director) and I have been examining many boys for the part of my younger brother, and it was Leonardo (Dicaprio) who was chosen. He's a go…

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