27 Richard Pryor Quotes That Will Change Your Mindset

Richard Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and social critic.

Pryor was born Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Jr. on November 12, 1940, to a single mother of eight children in Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in poverty and was raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was four years old.

This man had a hard life but used it to help him become one of the best comedians ever to live. His family’s life taught him not to take anything for granted and that nothing is inevitable, so you have to work hard at what you want with everything you have always dreamed about achieving your goals.

He is known for his pioneering work in Def Comedy Jam, which helped popularize the alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. His groundbreaking routines often incorporated controversial topics such as racism, sexism, drugs, and sexuality.

He was one of the most influential and controversial comedians of all time. His stand-up career began in the late 1950s when he became a regular performer at The Gaslight Cafe in New York City.

Here are his most inspiring quotes that will change your mindset to see the world differently.

27 Richard Pryor Quotes That Will Change Your Mindset

1. “Who you gonna believe-me or your lying eyes?” ― Richard Pryor

2. “I believe the ability to think is blessed. If you can think about a situation, you can deal with it. The big struggle is to keep your head clear enough to think.” ― Richard Pryor

3. “The reason people use a crucifix against vampires is because vampires are allergic to bullshit.” ― Richard Pryor

4. “It’s been a struggle for me because I had a chance to be white and refused.” ― Richard Pryor

5. “I believe in divine forces and energies.” ― Richard Pryor

6. “Imagine people calling you to find out if you’re dead. I’ve led a real crazy life at times, and I’ve had many strange things happen to me, but that was one of the strangest.” ― Richard Pryor

7. “When you ain’t got no money, you gotta get an attitude.” ― Richard Pryor

8. “Everyone carries around his own monsters.” ― Richard Pryor

9. “Marriage is really tough because you have to deal with feelings, and lawyers.” ― Richard Pryor

10. “You have to have lived some life. You’ve got to have paid some dues.” ― Richard Pryor

11. “What I’m saying might be profane, but it’s also profound.” ― Richard Pryor

12. “I had some great things and I had some bad things. The best and the worst, In other words, I had a life.” ― Richard Pryor

13. “There was a time in my life when I thought I had everything – millions of dollars, mansions, cars, nice clothes, beautiful women, and every other materialistic thing you can imagine. Now I struggle for peace.” ― Richard Pryor

14. “I’m for human lib, the liberation of all people, not just black people or female people or gay people.” ― Richard Pryor

15. “A lie is profanity. A lie is the worst thing in the world. Art is the ability to tell the truth.” ― Richard Pryor

16. “I’m slower and some days are better than others, but I’m a fighter.” ― Richard Pryor

17. “I see people as the nucleus of a great idea that hasn’t come to be yet.” ― Richard Pryor

18. “If I thought about it, I could be bitter, but I don’t feel like being bitter. Being bitter makes you immobile, and there’s too much that I still want to do.” ― Richard Pryor

19. “I’m not addicted to cocaine. I just like the way it smells.” ― Richard Pryor

20. “I know that if I wasn’t scared, something’s wrong, because the thrill is what’s scary.” ― Richard Pryor

21. “I won’t talk about what it was like in prison, except to say I’m glad I’m out and that I plan never to go back and to pay my taxes every day.” ― Richard Pryor

22. “Hawaii is the best form of comfort for me. When I die, I want to be cremated, and I want half my ashes spread in the Pacific around the island, the rest on the property.” ― Richard Pryor

23. “When you’re running down the street on fire, people get out of your way!” Richard Pryor

24. “Have you ever noticed how quiet you get when you go in the woods? It’s almost like you know that God’s there.” ― Richard Pryor

25. “I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, I wanna grow up and be a critic.” ― Richard Pryor

26. “You don’t get to be old bein’ no fool.” ― Richard Pryor

27. “There’s nothing worse than being an aging young person.” ― Richard Pryor

Want more great quotes? Check out below!

Must Read

Related Articles