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.

Meaning of the quote

Being bitter and angry can hold you back from doing the things you want to do in life. Richard Pryor, a famous American actor, said that even though he could choose to be bitter about some things, he doesn't want to be. He knows that being bitter will make him feel stuck and unable to move forward. Instead, he wants to focus on all the things he still wants to do and achieve.

About Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor was an iconic American stand-up comedian and actor known for his trenchant observations, storytelling style, and groundbreaking comedy. He won numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy, five Grammys, and the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Pryor’s extensive body of work, including acclaimed concert films and collaborations with Gene Wilder, solidified his status as one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time.

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More quotes from Richard Pryor

Everyone carries around his own monsters.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

The way I see it, the earth is going to be here after we’re dead and gone. Even if it’s a polluted planet, and they messed it up. Where do they go from here – to another planet so they can mess that up too?

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I became a performer because it was what I enjoyed doing.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

What I am for is justice for everyone, just like it says in the Constitution.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I believe in divine forces and energies.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

When you ain’t got no money, you gotta get an attitude.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

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

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I think about dying. I’ve come to realize we all die alone in one way or another.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

It’s been a struggle for me because I had a chance to be white and refused.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I went to Zimbabwe. I know how white people feel in America now; relaxed! Cause when I heard the police car I knew they weren’t coming after me!

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

There’s a lot more hypocrisy than before. Racism has gone back underground.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I’m for human lib, the liberation of all people, not just black people or female people or gay people.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, I wanna grow up and be a critic.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I can’t just say the words, do a lot of one-liners. I love each person I play; I have to be that person. I have to do him true.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

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

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Even when I was a little kid, I always said I would be in the movies one day, and damned if I didn’t make it.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I’d like to make you laugh for about ten minutes though I’m gonna be on for an hour.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Sure, I have friends, plenty of friends, and they all come around wantin’ to borrow money. I’ve always been generous with my friends and family, with money, but selfish with the important stuff like love.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

You work your butt off and somebody says you can’t have your record played because it offends them. Tyrants are made of such stuff.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

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

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I was an only child.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I’m not for integration and I’m not against it.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Friends take up time, and I didn’t have time.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

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

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

There’s a thin line between to laugh with and to laugh at.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I was brought up in a whorehouse in Peoria. My mother and father lived there and worked there.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Marriage is really tough because you have to deal with feelings… and lawyers.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I was a loner and never hung out with anyone. I never had any friends.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Someone called all the newspapers in New York and told them I’d died. I’ve been told by almost everyone it was an ex-wife – I’ve had a few so it’s hard to pinpoint which one – but who knows for sure?

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I urge you to ask yourself just how honorable it is to preside over the abuse and suffering of animals.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

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

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I believe in the institution of marriage, and I intend to keep trying till I get it right.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I ain’t no movie star, man. I’m a booty star.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I just don’t want to die alone, that’s all. That’s not too much to ask for, is it It would be nice to have someone care about me, for who I am, not about my wallet.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Booty is just a ghetto expression, and I’m just a booty star.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I was kicked out of school because of my attitude. I was not assimilating. So I went to work, taking any jobs I could get.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I don’t see myself getting married again, but if I do, it will be forever.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

A sold-out house my first night back. Do you have any idea what kinda pressure that is? I could have been at home in my warm bed, playing Nintendo.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I know that if I wasn’t scared, something’s wrong, because the thrill is what’s scary.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Yes, I’m religious. God has shown me things, made certain ways clear to me.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

The black groups that boycott certain films would do better to get the money together to make the films they want to see, or stay in church and leave us to our work.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

Movies are movies, and I don’t think any of them are going to hurt the moral fiber of America and all that nonsense.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I think about being married again, having a home and a wife. No one can ever be married too many times, and maybe if I keep trying I’ll get it right one day.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

I realized this is what God has dealt me, and I should be thankful considering all that’s happened to me in my life, but MS caused the movies to stop – stop dead – and I miss it.

Richard Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)

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

American comedian and actor (1940-2005)