Charles Barkley quotes:

Poor people cannot rely on the government to come to help you in times of need. You have to get your education. Then nobody can control your destiny.

These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it.

I'm not a role model... Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids.

You know what's amazing to me? America. There have been so many people who have stepped up, and I'm just proud to be an American. Yeah, there were some mistakes made, but I don't play the blame game. Let's move forward and rebuild New Orleans.

As long as anti-gay legislation exists in any state, I strongly believe big events such as the Final Four and Super Bowl should not be held in those states' cities.

See, my hope and dream is that people have a good time watching basketball. It's not church. It's not serious.

If I weren't earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming.

I'm not paid to be a role model, parents should be role models.

My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character.

I don't believe athletes should be role models. . . . We're a one-shot deal, one in a million, so we should be the least likely role models. . . . I think one of the problems in society today is that we don't stress education enough, because we glorify athletes, actors and actresses.

This place? Nothing positive. OK, I want to say something positive. It's positively a dump.

Well, all I can say is that people know I'm not saying anything out of malice.

I don't know anything about Angola, but Angola's in trouble.

You know it's going to hell when the best rapper out there is white and the best golfer is black.

The most underrated player in NBA history is Dominique Wilkins. Right behind him is Gary Payton. He never has gotten the respect he deserves. If he doesn't spend the rest of his days in Seattle, I hope he goes someplace where he has a chance to win a title.

Kids are great. That's one of the best things about our business, all the kids you get to meet. It's a shame they have to grow up to be regular people and come to the games and call you names.

I know I'm never as good or bad as one single performance. I've never believed in my critics or my worshippers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena.

One thing about being famous is the people around you, you pay all their bills so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check.

Yeah, I regret we weren't on a higher floor.

It ain't like we're curing cancer or anything, we're watching basketball.

The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work.

I don't care what people think. people are stupid.

The older I get, the faster I was.

Unfortunately, as I tell my white friends, we as black people, we're never going to be successful not because of you white people but because of other black people,

There's only 5 real jobs in the world. Teacher, fireman, policeman, doctor and somebody who is in the armed service. If you don't have one of those 5 jobs, you shouldn't take your life that serious.

I didnt wear the pink panties because I didnt want America going crazy with excitement.

Yeah Ernie, its called defense, I mean I wouldn't know anything about it personally but I've heard about it through the grapevine.

If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she's ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he can't play a lick. Same thing.

The word conservative means discriminatory practically. It's a form of political discrimination. What do the Republicans run on? Against gay marriage and for a war that makes no sense. A war that was based on faulty intelligence. That's all they ever talk about. That and immigration. Another discriminatory argument for political gain.

It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: 'Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.' First of all, quit telling me what I think. I'd rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can't play.

Those Grizzlies are more like pandas.

I don't know what that gas is made of, but it can't smell any worse than Ernie Johnson 's gym bag.

I know a lot of people did a lot of heavy lifting to make me successful and I do everything in my power not to screw it up.

I like to help poor people who got no chance. If rich people don't, who will? Not other poor people, that's for sure.

I love New York City; I've got a gun.

I don't worry about playing basketball; that comes natural. I just want to have fun. David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordanthis is like spring break in the ghetto.

Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train.

Any time a little midget does something like this, you gotta give him a 10!.

You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right.

On his homesickness during the Barcelona Olympics -I miss America. I miss crime and murder. I miss Philadelphia. There hasn't been a brutal stabbing or anything here the last 24 hours. I've missed it.

I'm not a role model.

My family got all over me because they said Bush is only for the rich people. Then I reminded them, 'Hey, I'm rich'.

I'd never buy my girl a watch... she's already got a clock over the stove.

I think you have an obligation to be honest.

Well, when I went off to college, the guys I used to hang with were pumping gas and voting Democrat. Today they're still pumping gas and voting Democrat. Guess the Democrats didn't do much for them.

Curling is not a sport. I called my grandmother and told her she could win a gold medal because they have dusting in the Olympics now.

I don't believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models...

I don't believe professional athletes should be role models. I believe parents should be role models.... It's not like it was when I was growing up. My mom and my grandmother told me how it was going to be. If I didn't like it, they said, Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Parents have to take better control.

We don't need refs, but I guess white guys need something to do.

I don't listen to the refs. I don't listen to anyone who makes less money than I do.

Say, Cuttino. What are those Godawful clothes you're wearing? Man, this ain't Rhode Island anymore. You're in the NBA. The girls have teeth here.

I never would say a player stinks. Ever. I'll tell you their team stinks, and first of all, they know their team stinks. And the fans know their team stinks.

But when I see a story on welfare on television, they only show black people.

White folks are not going to come to see a bunch of guys with tattoos, with cornrows. I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks different, they're stupid.

If all babies are so cute, how the hell do we have so many ugly people in the world?

If you are an ugly woman, you have no chance of getting a TV job.

I think anybody who is racist is an idiot whether they are black or white.

Just because you say something doesn't make it controversial, and it doesn't make you a bad person.

Somebody hits me, I'm going to hit him back. Even if it does look like he hasn't eaten in a while.

Any professional league that goes on strike right now - that's just suicide.

We're not all supposed to think alike.

I was asked for years about being a Republican, probably because most black people are Democrats. My mother heard it once and called me and said 'Charles, Republicans are for the rich people.' And I said, 'Mom, I'm rich.'

Poor people have been voting for Democrats for the last 50 years and they're still poor.

Listening to a woman is almost as bad as losing to one. There are only three things that women are better at than men: cleaning, cooking, and having sex.

You know what I always say about basketball whenever anybody tried to tell me the Knicks are gonna be good: They're old. Old people don't get healthy. They die.

I want to be a politician. I think I understand how the system works, I think a lot of politicians are corrupt, and it's about time we put some people in there who are going to look out for the majority of the people instead of the rich people.

What does politically correct mean? If you're fat, don't ask me if you're fat, because I'm gonna tell you the truth. You're fat.

I always laugh when people ask me about rebounding techniques. I've got a technique. It's called just go get the damn ball.

I read that heavy drinking is bad for your health. I decided I better stop reading.

I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It.

If Michael Jordan was a damn plumber, he couldn't get a date. Any guy got $500 million looks good.

We're just playing basketball. It's not like we're going out to have unprotected sex with Magic.

I'm not paid to be a role model. I'm paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court.

When you're black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other black people. It's a dirty, dark secret; I'm glad it's coming out.

If ifs were gifts, every day would be Christmas.

I'm just what America needs: another unemployed black man. (on his retirement from basketball)

If you're scarde to fail, you don't deserve to be successful.

The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.

Half Man, Half Sit-Out-The-Season.

People always say he can run and he can jump. So can a deer and you wouldn't put a deer in the game.

The meek may inherit the earth, but they wont get the ball from me.

I just thank God for Dennis [Rodman], cause he makes me look like a saint.

I remember sitting down with the Rockets and saying, 'Yeah. I'm going to retire.' They said, 'Well, we'll give you $9 million.' And I said, 'You got a pen on you?'

All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine.

My message is simple: take control of your life

He's got to bring something stronger than that. That's like bringing milk to a bar, it's not strong enough

He'll never be Jordan. This clearly takes him out of the conversation. He can win as much as he wants to.

This is why I hate white people. You guys try to turn everything into a racial issue.

You can talk without saying a thing. I don't ever want to be that type of person.

I don't hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime.

If a guy drew a charge on me, I tried to kick him in the balls.

It's kinda great to see the Celtics doin well again cuz that was so much fun in my day to go to the Boston Garden and they spit at you and throw things at you and talk about your mom. It sounds like dinner at Kenny Smith's house.

Preseason is just a way to screw fans out of money.

Everybody in the world has an ego. The only difference between us is we have a reason to have an ego.

There's nobody you'd rather beat than your good friend.

I'm really disturbed about the gay marriage thing. Because I think gay people should get married, cause it's their own business ... Because as a Black man, I think you've got to be against any form of discrimination.

What I told [my teammates] after the game was I'm just fortunate [for] my 16 years because, this [injury] can happen every single night you go out and play... It can be over in one instant, so you should appreciate everyday.

Every time I think about changing a diaper, I run a little bit harder and a little bit faster to make sure I can afford a nanny until my daughter's old enough to take care of that herself.

I can be bought. If they paid me enough, I'd work for the Klan.

I just wish all these young black kids would realize how significant it is to stop acting a fool out there, killing each other, not getting their education. You know, people have died to put us in a situation to be successful.

I came to the realization a couple months ago that I am fat. If you get tired from walking - and that's all that golf is - then you are officially fat.

Poor white people and poor black people just don't know how much they have in common. Rich people don't give a damn about either group.

I played against him (Wilkins) in college. Getting nominated with him, that's pretty cool.

Being black or white isn't an accomplishment. What you do with your life - or what you accomplish with your life - dictates what you should be proud of.

People say I eat a lot. I really don't. More or less I just eat all the time.

When you read the book you see that these guys aren't holding any punches. They're straightforward. They're honest. They're giving you their honest opinion.

I want her to understand that it's going to be a factor in her life. I just want her to know that (racism) does exist, and I want her to always be diligent, and if she sees it, address it and fight it.

Adrian Dantley is a guy that I looked at . . . on how to maneuver my body around.

Anytime a fan touches you, you have the right to beat the hell out of him

Only poor people go to jail.

Hey Steve, no offense, but if you couldn't shoot, there would be no reason for you to be alive.

Christian is going to be the strongest man in the NBA next year, because all he's been doing all summer is carrying around the luggage for 11 guys.

Every team in the Western Conference has flaws.

You can't start a diet in the middle of the week, that's just stupid.

They always try to make it like jocks discriminate against gay people. I've been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can't be in for any form of discrimination at all.

I'm a mad dog whose only concern is winning.

Hakeem couldn't kick your ass cause you were too close, kissing his!

I don't mess with that cat. I'm pretty sure he carries a blade under his jersey.

It's the kind of game that makes you go home and beat your wife.