I never believed in Santa Claus because I knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark.

When I first broke through, there was only NBC, CBS and ABC, and they had news in the morning and in the evening - there wasn't no 24-hour news.

My wife and I went to jail in Selma. The difference when I was back there recently? White folks? No. Black folks who were not scared. I was behind the president this time. When I was a little boy and ran around with trifling dudes, I was the only one scared of dogs. And I was bitten 14 times! Dogs smell scared. And that's the same thing with people: 50 years ago they smelled fear. There was no fear this time.

That's easy, to stand in a nightclub, where most of the people that come in, they came to see you.

Being white is a job in America. You take that away, you better get the soldiers out.

The only thing I like about St. Louis is it has the best zoo in America, in Forest Park. Washington University is next door to the zoo. Animals get out, they're going to eat white people before they get to the ghetto!

Because you make me laugh don't make you a comic. A comedian is a person who, that's how they make their living.