I'm actual thankful for the amount of responsibility that has

Samira Wiley once spoke with humility and courage: “I’m actually thankful for the amount of responsibility that has been handed to me. I feel very honored.” In these words shines the spirit of one who does not shrink from duty, but embraces it as both a burden and a blessing. Her declaration reminds us that the weight of responsibility is not a curse, but a sacred trust, a sign that others believe in our strength, and that the world has found us worthy of bearing more than ourselves.

The origin of these words lies in her journey as an actress, rising to prominence in works that carried powerful cultural and emotional weight. Roles in stories such as Orange is the New Black or The Handmaid’s Tale were not simple entertainments, but mirrors held up to society, stirring reflection, protest, and hope. With these roles came responsibility—to represent truth, to carry the voices of the unheard, and to live with integrity under the gaze of millions. Wiley did not see this as a burden to be endured with complaint, but as an honor to be carried with thankfulness.

The ancients knew well that responsibility was the true mark of greatness. In Rome, when generals were granted triumphs, they did not march in glory alone; they carried the weight of expectation to protect the Republic. In Greece, Pericles declared that responsibility to the city was the highest honor of citizenship. So too in Wiley’s words we hear this timeless truth: the measure of a person is not how lightly they live, but how nobly they carry the responsibilities laid upon them.

History gives us many examples of this truth. Consider George Washington at the close of the American Revolution. Offered the chance to seize power, he instead accepted the heavier responsibility of restraint, resigning his commission and later shaping a fragile new nation as its first president. For this, he was called “the man who would not be king.” His greatness lay not in avoiding responsibility, but in bearing it with humility and courage. Wiley’s words echo this spirit—she feels honored to be entrusted, knowing responsibility is not given to the unworthy, but to the capable.

There is also in her words a profound understanding of gratitude. To be thankful for responsibility is to see it not as chains, but as opportunity. Many flee from responsibility, seeking only comfort or ease. But Wiley rejoices in it, for she knows that responsibility is the furnace in which character is forged. Without it, we remain untested and fragile; with it, we are tempered, made strong enough to serve others and to leave a legacy beyond ourselves.

The lesson for us is clear: do not dread the responsibilities that life hands you—whether they be in work, in family, in community, or in faith. Instead, embrace them as honors. They are signs that you are trusted, that you are capable, that your life is meant to bear weight for others. To shirk responsibility is to deny growth, but to accept it is to walk the path of greatness.

Practical action follows easily. When responsibility is given to you, receive it not with grumbling but with gratitude. Remember that others carry burdens as well; support them in their duties, and together the weight becomes lighter. Seek responsibilities that align with your purpose, but also accept those that stretch you, for they will make you strong. And above all, give thanks, as Wiley does, that you are entrusted at all—for responsibility is the crown placed on those deemed worthy of trust.

Thus, Samira Wiley’s words endure as a teaching: to be thankful for responsibility is to live as one who understands the honor of trust, the weight of duty, and the joy of service. For it is not the light life, but the heavy one, carried with gratitude, that shines most brightly across the ages.