69 Inspiring Quotes by Dave Chappelle

There's something about doing stand-up that's cathartic.

I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way.

The world can't tell you who you are. You've just got to figure out who you are and be there, for better or worse.

The language you are about to hear... is disturbing.

I think extreme sports are really good for relieving stress.

There's a lot of people who don't want anything from me but to laugh and have a good time. You see them at the show and they like -- they dress up to come see your show and stuff. And they pack these auditoriums and it's a lot of fun, man. It's like, this is how I started, and it's still fun for me.

You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.

I love being famous -- it's phenomenal.

I just always loved stand-up. It's like magic. You say something, and a whole room full of people laughs together. Say something else, they laugh again. The fact that people come to see that and participate in that... I don't know, it's just like magic.

I'm an introspective dude.

You can become famous but you can't become unfamous. You can become infamous but not unfamous.

If you don't have the right people around you and you're moving at a million miles an hour you can lose yourself.

You got to be careful of the company you keep.

One of the things that happens when people make the leap from a certain amount of money to tens of millions of dollars is that the people around you dramatically change.

I've been a comedian since I was fourteen. But I've never really been a CEO.

Fame for me is like a place, a country I'm taking a tour through.

I want to tell my jokes. I want to have time with my children. I want to entertain people. And at one point, I'll walk away from show business. But I don't want to walk away empty-handed.

You know, be able to do something great in your life, you're gonna have to realize your failures. You're gonna have to embrace them and figure out how to overcome it.

I enjoy my own thoughts sometimes.

I care about the work I do. But I'm not going to say that money's not an issue.

My wife asked me once if I weren't a comedian what I would do. I couldn't answer the question. I never imagined doing anything else.

The way the people around you position themselves around you to get in your pockets and in your mind is infuriating to me.

I get a little heated when I talk about the past. But I wanted to be clear -- I'm not mad at anybody -- not anymore.

I don't care if I ever work in TV again.

I've done 10 or 11 pilots for network television, which is ridiculous.

I was doing sketches that were funny but socially irresponsible. I felt I was deliberately being encouraged and I was overwhelmed.

Whether it means having a show, or a movie, or just being on a stage, I need an avenue to say what I have to say.

Stand-up is the kind of gig that'll show you where you're at.

After a while, a joke, if you say it too much, just becomes contrived, or fake-sounding.

I'm famous today. People like me today. Might not like me tomorrow. You can't count on it.

When I'm on stage, I get real happy there. Maybe that's the only time in my adult life I feel like myself.

My generation is under-entertained.

My father told me 'Name your price in the beginning. If it ever gets more expensive than the price you name, get out of there.'

The worst thing to call somebody is crazy. It's dismissive.

I felt in a lot of instances I was deliberately being put through stress because when you're a guy who generates money, people have a vested interest in controlling you.

I don't want anything bad to happen to the United States, but if North Korea ever drops a nuclear bomb on this country, I swear to God, I hope it lands in Hartford.

I got married recently. So far, so good. Less sex than I expected, but other than that, it's a pretty good lifestyle.

Cause my life is dope, and I do dope sh*t.

If I can make a teacher's salary doing comedy, I think that's better than being a teacher.

Money is the fuel for choices. Money gives me choices, so it's not nothing, it's something. But it's not the end all, be all. There are other things in my life that I did not purchase with money that are very valuable.

Most of the people around me have a vested interest in how much money I make. You know, so a celebrity could find themselves in a position where people could have meetings about their life without them involved. And when I say "their life" I mean not their professional life either. They could talk about their personal life.

For one year, I want to do this thing where I guest-star on as many television shows as I possibly can. I love television. The fact that television ultimately made me famous was very gratifying for me.

I always take a relationship to the next level. If that works out, I take it to the next level after that, until I finally reach that level when it becomes absolutely necessary for me to leave.

My kids look actually happy. And I learned early on that perfectionism and parenthood is a toxic combination for everybody involved. In other words, so many things can flourish naturally. All you gotta do is make sure the soil's right. I view myself more like a guide than a ruler.

They do what they do for money -- that's all. I don't even know why you're listening to me. I've done commercials for both Coke and Pepsi. Truth is, I can't even taste the difference, but Pepsi paid me last, so there it is.

What is wrong with me i just bought a bag of weed from an infant.

I would go to work on the show and I felt awful every day, that's not the way it was. ... I felt like some kind of prostitute or something. If I feel so bad, why keep on showing up to this place? I'm going to Africa. The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching.

You've got to say 'yes' to your destiny. Life's happening right now, look around you. There goes some life. Come on, Mamma, live!

Why don't you click your heels three times and go back to Africa.

Somebody broke into my house once, this is a good time to call the police, but mm mm, nope. The house was too nice. It was a real nice house, but they'd never believe i lived in it. They'd be like 'He's still here!

Hey hey hey, smoke weed everyday.

Listen, here it is: Technically, I never quit. I'm seven years late for work.

No matter how old you are, if a little kid hands you a toy phone... you answer it.

All white people talk about when they get high is other times that they got high.

Weed's not as bad as everything else... 'cause weed is a background substance. You know what I mean, you can smoke some herb and still function. You ain't crisp... but you'll function.

So sometimes I'll make up sh*t that's not even slang, just to see how they handle it and sh*t. It'll be the same thing, they just go:
"All right, we're gonna close the deal. Is that fine with you, Dave?"
"Yeah, it sounds good to me."
"Great. You have a good weekend, Dave."
"All right, buddy. Zip it up, and zip it out."
He'll be like...
"Uh... All right. Zippity-doo-dah, bye-BYE.

Once you been performing on the streets you can conquer any venue.

You can't get un-famous. You can get infamous, but you can't get un-famous.

Dave! Relax! Close your buttcheeks!

I'm Dave Chappelle and I'm a chronic masturbator.

If someone sits and stares at you while you eat, you won't even eat the way you normally do, because it'll make you so uncomfortable. If I look at my dog when he's eating, he will look at me like, "Dave, I will bite you. What are you looking at? I'm trying to eat." It's something that dehumanizes a person, being on display like that.

What that's allowed me to do is have a vantage point about my own life that's accessible to people still. I could see a guy walking down the street and be like, Even though I'm famous, I got more in common with this guy than, like, Brad Pitt.

I have all these weird fantasies. Going coast-to-coast on my motorcycle and having random barbecues all over America. No show, no nothing.

I have angst in my life, but I'm like anybody. We all have angst in our lives that we pick up and fidget with and then we put down and look at some other things that make us feel good or enjoy our lives.

Because I was surrounded by so much negativity at some point that it took me going back and doing stand-up to realize, you know, people really like me.