Richard Simmons quotes:

Puberty for me was graduating from Thousand Island salad dressing to Caesar salads. It was like going from hot dogs and hamburgers to beef stroganoff, or from ice cream in a cone to creme brulee.

When you're feeling down, sad, lonely, negative, you don't want to take care of yourself - and the weight problem and the diabetic problem and the heart attack and stroke problems and high cholesterol set in.

I could be hit by a Sara Lee truck tomorrow. Which is not a bad way of going: 'Richard Simmons Found in a Freeway in Pound Cake and Fudge, With a Smile on His Face.' Let's face it. We don't know anything.

When I was growing up, I did not exercise at all. I was raised in the French Quarter in New Orleans. If I saw someone running, I would call the police because I thought they stole something on Royal Street.

Our children are obese, either have or being threatened by diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and not socially adjusting properly to others because of a lack of fitness.

No one is perfect... absolutely no one. Like precious stones, we have a few flaws, but why focus on that? Focus on what you like about yourself, and that will bring you happiness and peace.

I've been going to shopping malls since I was on General Hospital.

When I go to bed at night, I ask God to give me another day; I ask him to keep me strong and make me a good teacher and to keep spreading this right word.

Count your blessings. You are one of a kind. There's no one in the world like you. You are amazing.

When you gather up all the balls of life that you try to juggle, it is a very difficult thing to try to focus in on taking good care of yourself. But that's why God invented me - so I can come and teach and preach and make people laugh and give them some education so they can start liking themselves better.

You have to make your own decisions. That's what the freedom in America is all about.

My way is the sensitive, emotional way, because that's who I am. I try to be the clown and court jester and make people laugh. At the same time, you have people in the hospital who have had gastric bypass or lap-band surgery, and they still have to work out. If you don't work out and eat healthy, you'll look like a melted candle.

The real pride, the real present, is your health and your longevity. My whole career, I have never done anything where competition was involved with weight loss.

Ninety percent of people who lose weight gain it back. It's very sad.

Every morning when I get up, I ask God what he wants me to do, ask him to lead me to the right people to help them.

Sometimes it's just 'Oh my God, I love the taste of fried oysters on French bread with mayonnaise and an order of French fries.' I'm not going to lie to you - I deal with that temptation every single day, many times.

But if you pick up every other magazine, it is the peanut butter diet, or the cabbage soup diet, and then you go to the radio and you hear that you can drink some solution and you will lose weight overnight. It just does not work that way!

My persona has always been what a man was never supposed to be. Outrageous, gregarious, crazy, silly, funny.

I suffered from eating disorders when I was just a kid. I did not like me or the way I looked. But back then, you could not tell anyone.

My parents always told me to be myself. I was always funny and silly as a kid. And I would always make them laugh. And they always told me to dream big and follow those dreams.

I used to think that if someone gained their weight back, it was my fault, but all I can do is be God's motivator and try to instill the motivation in others so they do it themselves.

I think it is very important that you like yourself for who you are and not want to look like anyone else. You also have to understand, many people have had cosmetic surgeries in order to look the way they look. So why look like them when you can just look like you? And there is nothing wrong with looking like you.

Stop trying to find something in food that will make you feel better. I used to have eating disorders; I'd binge and purge all the time: fried oysters, po' boys, muffulettas, beignets, coffee and doughnuts. I tried to medicate myself with food when people made fun of me or hit me with a bat in school. I'd always turn to food.

For my workout, I'm up at 4 A.M. I say my prayers, count my blessings, and I work out right away. I just get it done.

I have 40 pounds to lose. It is not the fault of the fast food people, and anyone who's trying to sue the fast food places needs a therapist, not an attorney.

How do you get motivated? By knowing your worth. Americans do not know how worthy they are. You deserve to be healthy, but a lot of times, people have, as childs been told - as a children been told that they're no good, that they're never going to be anything else.

Everyone has a story that makes me stronger. I know that the work I do is important and I enjoy it, but it is nice to hear the feedback of what we do to inspire others.

Well mine is not gimmicky - it is the 6 food groups that God made, and exercising every day. Trying to think positively.

Right now many schools have no recess. Most schools have no PE.

I'm not into any show that makes people compete when they lose weight.

Work hard, take care of yourself, and you'll be just fine.

I hope in my lifetime we can all continue to laugh at ourselves and not put down anyone for what they weigh.

It's not nice to make fun of people with issues.

When I lost my weight, I went and bought about 15 different types of underwear to see what would look good on my new body. It's exciting!

One day I may be meeting you and hearing how you've changed your life by saying, 'Farewell to Fat'.

I have rules about eating, exercising and rules about staying positive. And these rules are sacred to me.

I have been up to my head just with calling people, I call about 50 to 100 people a day.

Number one, like yourself. Number two, you have to eat healthy. And number three, you've got to squeeze your buns. That's my formula.

Take a moment every day to find peace. Pull over to the side of the road, turn off the radio, and find peace.

We're all in trouble, and we all need to sort of pick up the pieces and start to exercise more and really be careful with the food.

I start phone calls at 4 A.M. to cheer people up. The housebound, people in the hospital. People who, after decades, still can't get over what happened 10 or 15 years ago.

Yeah, but I do call them back and follow up. Most people talk at overweight people, I talk with them.

I might as well be gay. And not just because I love rhinestones and Barbara Streisand. But because Im a sensitive person who is supportive of gay people the same way Im sensitive to grossly obese people and ugly people.

You know, if your parents didn't have you, they'd be living in a nicer home, driving a Mercedes-Benz, with money in the bank and a boat. But noooooo. They had to have you! You've got to give back!

There's a list of foods I can't have in the house. Peanut butter, can't have that in the house. Potato chips, can't have that in the house. Random little small mini candy bars, don't even think about it. I just have to watch everything. I have to stay between 1500 and 1600 calories a day. That's it.

I consider myself a court jester - motivator.

My way is the sensitive, emotional way, because that's who I am. A day doesn't go by where I don't sit and cry, listening to the stories. I try to be the clown and court jester and make people laugh.

When the king gets depressed, he doesn't call for his wife. He doesn't call for the cook. He calls for the court jester.

I do consider myself a clown and a court jester, and I do love to make people laugh, whether they're laughing with me or at me.

People need the court jester, so I keep that smile on and keep going out there to do what I do.

I'm a real paradox. Because I'm a very serious person, and I take my work very seriously. But I wrap it up in a court jester and a clown and make people laugh and make them feel good about themselves.

I began reading cook books when I was six, cause my father had hundreds of cook books in the kitchen. I was obsessed with cooking and tasting different recipes. I got lost in being a compulsive eater. It brought me much happiness. Sadness too, sure. But I have to say, and compulsive eaters will agree with me, for that few seconds that you're eating, food tastes just great.

I get energy from meditation practice and from eating healthy fresh food, only one cup of espresso in the morning, and not drinking too much.

One day I may be meeting you and hearing how you've changed your life by saying, "Farewell to Fat".

When I was younger, I ate nothing but fried food. Everything was fried, from oysters to chicken to potatoes to vegetables. When you die in New Orleans, they deep fry you before they put you in the coffin. When we baptize children in New Orleans, we baptize them with a bordelaise sauce; we don't use water.

No tricks, gimmicks, special pills, special potions, special equipment. All it takes is desire and will.

I spent my childhood eating. The only exercise I got was trying to twist off the cap of a jar of mayonnaise.

My nickname is Dickie Jukebox.

My nickname is Dickie Jukebox. I own thousands and thousands and thousands of songs.

It's my life dream to be able to go and continue going to schools and teaching them about stretching and aerobics, cardio and strength training, because I want them to have a better life than I did. I don't want them to grow up to be me. I want them to be healthy. I want them not to go through eating disorders [like me].

I took desperate measures to lose weight and did terrible things to myself. I went from diet pills to thirty laxatives a day to throwing up.

I'm such a huge fan, and I've done classes of all Lady Gaga music. And she's just someone who evokes freedom and love for her fans and passion in what she does. Lady Gaga, I'll take you out for a salad anytime.

There is no magic milkshake or workout machine. I think the real machine is your body. I do love treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, free weights.

If anyone's depressed for any reason, whether a relationship has fallen apart or they're having money problems, wearing feathered wings and a tutu takes you into a whole other world. A whole new woooooorld, a world of bright and shining stars!

When I go to bed, I ask God to give me one more day tomorrow. When I get it, I'm excited and grateful.

I have a one of a kind collection of dolls. My house is like a museum.

I'm not going to be happy until every child in every school is physically active.

For many years, my formula has been to love yourself, move your body and to watch portion size. But the No. 1 thing is to love and value yourself, no matter what you've been through.

I've been offered big money to promote machines. And high-protein diets, when that was really popular. There was always some new powder or diet plan that somebody wanted to put my name on.

When I go to teach, that's not my workout. It's my show. I'm 134 pounds - I'm a teeny thing. I work out 11/2 hours a day and eat 1,600 calories. I can't stray because I have to fit into these Dolfin shorts!

I never sold any of those "lose 10 pounds every week" scams. I've not changed my tune in all these years. I've seen everything pass by me, and I've been offered millions of dollars to put my name on products that were just lies. And I never did it.

There is no such thing as sleep deprivation, there is only caffeine deficiency.

I don't know about you, but every time some joker points me out as I walk through an airport wearing extra-small Dolfin shorts, a tank top and leg warmers, I get a little upset.

I was born with a crippled leg. I wore a corrective shoes since I was three years old and I still wear them.

For my workout, I'm up at 4am. I say my prayers, count my blessings, and I work out right away. I just get it done. One day I'll tone - chest, back and shoulders - and the next day it's biceps and triceps. I also do 45 minutes of cardio every day. I do that before I even leave the house.

My father offered me a dollar for every pound I would lose as a kid. It didn't work. And it doesn't really work in the long run. Who are you competing against? It's you. You need to be doing this for you and only you.

I've always practiced this: Love yourself. Move your body. Watch your portions.

Therell always be some weird thing about eating four grapes before you go to bed, or drinking a special tea, or buying this little bean from El Salvador.

Everyone in this world is somehow connected. So why not just be nice to everybody.

Truthfully, everyone knows how to eat right. They know the difference between oatmeal and a jelly cream doughnut. They know how to walk. Everyone has this in their brain. When I started, we didn't have all this knowledge.

We overweight people, we say terrible things to ourselves. Oh, you wouldn't believe it. 'You fat pig. How can you do this? You're a disgusting jerk.' And that gets you nowhere. That gets you right back into a bowl of pasta fregula.

If your oxygen mask drops down, it's time to take a breather!

You are one of a kind and unique. Never forget that.

People are still grasping for the miracle, and unfortunately, there are no miracles, if you do not exercise for a year, and let your body remain dormant, then you will gain weight.

I put a spell on people so they don't know they're working out... An enchanting spell, where they just don't think about it, or over think it, and then at the end they go, 'Wow, I feel good.'

I'll tell you who makes me laugh, in a good way, and I'd love to have a date with her: if I could just have a salad with Lady Gaga? This would be my - I would almost probably faint.

People have been frying foods since Jesus was on this planet, and there is always going to be greasy, fried, salty, sugary food. It is up to the individual to walk in and say, 'I don't want those fries today.'

I have loved deeply. I have lost intensely. I will never love again. I get that love by people who care for me.

You shouldn't make fun of people who have issues.

Most workouts are way too aggressive. Thousands of lunges wear out the body.

I've never lived in the visual world. I live very much in an emotional-contact world.

I get tired of negativity in our country. I get tired of people who only want to know dirt. I get tired of people who don't believe in themselves.

Even though my work is whimsical. I have a very serious job. I cry more than I laugh.

A kid who moves is a kid who learns.

After all the throwing up, I would starve myself. Which meant eating lettuce and water for two and a half months. I almost lost my life.

After I talk to so many people who are so unhappy about their weight and so depressed that they don't see any rainbows in their life, after I talk to about 30 of those, then I try to walk away and pet my dog, just do something that makes me happy.

All of a sudden, I'm thinking that if I keep eating the way I'm eating, I'm not going to live long and I'm going to die. Having those thoughts as a young person can be very haunting.

Back in the 70s and 80s, women felt the discrimination of being overweight. And now 35% of the letters I receive are from men.

Being successful is something that's sometimes hard to deal with.

Comedy, not screaming at someone, can make someone lift their legs higher. There is a way to do a push-up and a sit-up, and it doesn't have to be so complicated. Everyone is putting a difficult twist to it and making you do way too much.

Energy is that amazing feeling that comes to life inside of you when you're happy and believe in yourself.

Every day after school, for three hours a day, I would sell those pralines on the street corner. I was just eight years old. I'd bring the money home to my parents and say, "This is just the beginning."

Every day you eat is every day you have to work out.

Everyone in Senate is a hurdle, but everyone in there has children. Everyone in there has grandchildren. No one wants to see our kids continue to gain weight, have high blood pressure high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression.

Everyone's under pressure and you just have to learn how to deal with it. And I deal with it through prayer and staying busy.

Everything I did with my life I did so that I could give my parents everything they didn't have because of me.

I am kinder to my body. I don't try to prove anything to myself or others. I keep thinking about the need to go slower, gentler and maintain a sense of humor about it all.

I do not want any child in America to have my childhood because it was taken away from me because I just wasn't good enough; well I am good enough now

I don't have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people.

I don't have to teach anymore, I don't have to work anymore, God has been really good to me.

I don't talk about my personal life, and I don't talk about death.

I get an abundance of e-mail every day, some say 'dear Richard, can you call my husband, he weighs 400 pounds...' or 'my 14-year-old is 200 pounds...' or 'I just got divorced, no one wants me, I am 500 pounds.' So I pick up the phone and I call people.

I give people permission to be kids again.

I have never lied to the people. I have always told them to love themselves, to move their body, and to watch their portions. I never jumped on any other bandwagons for stupid diets or shots or pills or anything. I'm very worried about our young people. And we need to take care of them, or they're not going to live as long as their parents. And this is really something very important to me.

I have two rules for living in the world. I never say anything negative about anyone, because that won't get you anywhere. And two, if people confront me with certain questions, if they are not right, I will not answer them.

I just love what I do, and I'm a teacher more than anything.

I just strive to do better. Every time I meet somebody, I ask myself, "How can I help this person?"

I just want people to get off the back burner of their life and start to take better care of themselves and their children.

I never say anything negative about anyone, because that won't get you anywhere.

I plan for the future, but the only day I really worry about is the day I'm living right now.