Let me tell you, never before in the history of this planet has anybody made the progress that African-Americans have made in a 30-year period, in spite of many black folks and white folks lying to one another.

Once I realised the value of making people laugh, I got very good at it. Fast.

I never thought I'd see the day that I would see white folks as frightened, or more so, than black folks was during the civil rights movement when we was in Mississippi.

One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.

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.

To me, seeing a really great comedian is a bit like watching a musician or a poet.

If it wasn't for Abe Lincoln, I'd still be on the open market.