Paul Mooney

“I was born a comic.”

“I don't want affirmative action - too much affirmative, not enough action.”

“I have such an ego 'cause I'm a double Leo. I can't let go of me, you know, so it's very difficult for me to be somebody else and not me. I'm so into me.”

“Tennessee Williams knew about the South, but he would clean it up and lie about it.”

“Comedians period, in general, have demons, and myself included.”

“I think about never losing my voice, never giving in, never selling out, always keeping black, always sticking to the street. Staying neighborhood and not Hollywood.”

“If your hair is relaxed, white people are relaxed. If your hair is nappy, they're not happy.”

“People think you're crazy if you turn money down... people worship money.”

“I'm as American as apple pie.”

“Arizona has always been anti-black.”

“I've never seen anyone more messed up over success than Richard Pryor. For him, it's a constant battle between success in the white world and keeping it real for his black self.”

“When you watch TV, I didn't know black people were that happy. I had no idea they were that happy. I'm trying to find them.”

“I do celebrate anything with freedom in it, you know.”

“You got to remember that slavery's very complex. It has a lot of levels to it.”

“I have nothing to do with racism in America; it was here when I got here.”

“There are still plenty of movie people peddling black stereotypes. I guess Tyler Perry's probably the most massively successful.”

“Handshaking means, 'I don't have a weapon.'”

“What does America love more than one white male?”