Nipsey Russell

“My only mission is to look for fun, the lighter side of life. I spell it fool-osophy.”

“Truck drivers stop me and say, 'What is the poem for the day?' or 'Give me a poem for my girl.' I have one on almost every subject.”

“Comedy is based partly on mean-spiritedness.”

“I use mother-in-law jokes, kid jokes, tax jokes - anything that works.”

“Jack Paar was my first TV patron saint.”

“Real progress will have been made when people don't care or even notice the color of a comedian when they'll just be concerned with whether he's funny.”

“He who turns the other cheek will get hit with the other fist.”

“I'm living the life of liberty, happiness and pursuit.”

“During all the years I entertained at the Baby Grand night club in Harlem, 90 percent of the audience was white. But when I tried to break Into television, I was told that white folks wouldn't understand what I was talking about.”

“My exercise is pall-bearin' for athletes and food faddists.”

“If you see me on the street, don't just say, 'There goes Nipsey.' Walk over and say, 'Hello Nipsey,' and give me a warm slap on the back and hand me a few dollars.”

“Six good guest shots on top shows during one season are more than enough and any producer who wants to make me happy could offer some floating guest dates for discussion and panel shows. It's generally agreed that I love to talk, so shows of this kind are right down my alley.”

“The great part of appearing on game shows is that when you answer a question the camera takes a close-up of you every time. You get more close-ups than in a movie, and that's terrific for audience identification. The people have to see you to like you.”

“For artistic fulfillment I prefer to work live. For career advancement, I go to the media.”

“Many times good actors I have known in New York accept series. I tune in at the beginning of the new season and think 'He's really working.' But six months later, if I tune in again, the actor is on a treadmill, grinding it out as best he can, and he can't help it.”

“I don't want to get in a one-character rut.”

“New York can be any city it wants to be.”

“Humor is based on the way a man looks at life's ironies, and being a member of a minority group can certainly be ironic.”

“I began working on stage in Atlanta when I was 3, doing a dance act with the Ragamuffins of Rhythm. Later I became a juvenile straight man for the older comedians. After that I worked out a stand-up act.”

“One character mistook me for the model and remarked 'That Man-Tan sure works wonders!' That ain't Man-Tan. I'm tan, man. From my head to my toes.”