Dick Gregory quotes

Dick Gregory was an influential American comedian, civil rights activist, and social critic. His work combined sharp satire and humor with passionate advocacy for racial equality and justice. He used his voice and platform to challenge racism, promote nonviolence, and inspire social change. Here are 52 of his quotes:

I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that. (Dick Gregory)
When you have a good mother and no father, God kind of sits in. It's not enough, but it helps. View quote
Dick Gregory
If they took all the drugs, nicotine, alcohol and caffeine off the market for six days, they'd have to bring out the tanks to control you. View quote
Dick Gregory
Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant, and this white waitress came up to me and said: "We don't serve colored people here.” I said: "That's all right, I don't eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.”. View quote
Dick Gregory
One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people. View quote
Dick Gregory
If you take 12 waters from the coconut - not the ones you buy in the store, although that's good - but the fresh coconuts, the little brown ones with the three eyes, if you take 12 of those within 24 hours, your blood will go back to the way it was when you were born. View quote
Dick Gregory
I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark. View quote
Dick Gregory
Political promises are much like marriage vows. They are made at the beginning of the relationship between candidate and voter, but are quickly forgotten. View quote
Dick Gregory
When I lost my rifle, the Army charged me 85 dollars. That is why in the Navy the Captain goes down with the ship. View quote
Dick Gregory
If it wasn't for Abe Lincoln, I'd still be on the open market. View quote
Dick Gregory
I have experienced personally over the past few years how a purity of diet and thought are interrelated. And when Americans become truly concerned with the purity of the food that enters their own personal systems, when they learn to eat properly, we can expect to see profound changes effected in the social and political system of this nation. The two systems are inseparable. (Dick Gregory)
No kid in the world, no woman in the world should ever raise a hand against a no-good daddy. That's already been taken care of: A Man Who Destroys His Own Home Shall Inherit the Wind. View quote
Dick Gregory
The philosophy of nonviolence, which I learned from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during my involvement in the civil rights movement was first responsible for my change in diet. I became a vegetarian in 1965. ... Under the leadership of Dr. King I became totally committed to nonviolence, and I was convinced that nonviolence meant opposition to killing in any form. I felt the commandment "Thou shalt not kill” applied to human beings not only in their dealings with each other-war, lynching, assassination, murder and the like-but in their practice of killing animals for food or sport. Animals and humans suffer and die alike. Violence causes the same pain, the same spilling of blood, the same stench of death, the same arrogant, cruel and brutal taking of life. View quote
Dick Gregory
I personally would say that the quickest way to wipe out a group of people is to put them on a soul food diet. One of the tragedies is that the very folks in the black community who are most sophisticated in terms of the political realities in this country are nonetheless advocates of "soul food.” They will lay down a heavy rap on genocide in America with regard to black folks, then walk into a soul food restaurant and help the genocide along. View quote
Dick Gregory
I went to Ethiopia, and it dawned on me that you can tell a starving, malnourished person because they've got a bloated belly and a bald head. And I realized that if you come through any American airport and see businessmen running through with bloated bellies and bald heads, that's malnutrition, too. View quote
Dick Gregory
In America, with all of its evils and faults, you can still reach through the forest and see the sun. But we don't know yet whether that sun is rising or setting for our country. View quote
Dick Gregory
I am really enjoying the new Martin Luther King Jr stamp - just think about all those white bigots, licking the backside of a black man. View quote
Dick Gregory
People with high blood pressure, diabetes - those are conditions brought about by life style. If you change the life style, those conditions will leave. View quote
Dick Gregory
We used to root for the Indians against the cavalry, because we didn't think it was fair in the history books that when the cavalry won it was a great victory, and when the Indians won it was a massacre. View quote
Dick Gregory
There's a God force inside of you that gives you a will to live. View quote
Dick Gregory
There is a limit on how much information you can keep bottled up. (Dick Gregory)
I wouldn't mind paying taxes... if I knew they were going to a friendly country. View quote
Dick Gregory
We thought I was going to be a great athlete, and we were wrong, and I thought I was going to be a great entertainer, and that wasn't it either. I'm going to be an American Citizen. First class. View quote
Dick Gregory
Now here's what I'm saying: I've always believed that every other month we hear about compromisation of bank records, I think that's the CIA and the FBI. Now let me tell you why I'm saying this. I don't believe no insignificant pip-squeak is going to be able to pull this off month after month and we can't find out what's going on. View quote
Dick Gregory
Coconut milk is the only thing on this planet that comes identically to mother's milk. View quote
Dick Gregory