Joey Diaz is a famous Cuban American stand-up comedian who surprisingly began his career by performing in front of his prison inmates.
Joey Diaz was born in Havana, Cuba, but he immigrated to the US when he was quite young. Diaz spent some time selling roofing materials, but he was unhappy doing it.
Joey Diaz got involved in a kidnapping and aggravated robbery and was sent to prison. This was the start of his career as a comedian.
In a podcast, Joey Diaz mentioned that one day, when the prison projector broke down, he decided to entertain his fellow inmates by doing stand-up comedy. When he saw the inmates' positive response, he thought of comedy as his career.
Joey Diaz acted in several well-known movies like 'Spider-Man 2', 'Taxi,' 'The Longest Yard,' and 'My name is Earl.' Diaz faced several obstacles in his endeavor to become a stand-up comedian.
He had to struggle with his background of having been in prison and also had to struggle with several addictions. However, he found inspiration from his days of addiction and crime and turned these into comedy. Diaz mentioned in a podcast that his inspiration was the comedy albums of Richard Pryor.
Diaz saw success as a comedian when he received a contract to star in a television pilot for Bronx County. Here he played the role of a bartender.
A talent scout for CBS identified him. This was the start of a successful career for Diaz. Although the series did not pick up, Diaz got noticed and soon got several offers from movies and other series directors.
Here are some inspiring quotes from Joey Diaz, who started a career in comedy at the most unusual places.
Joey Diaz quotes on Life
(Get inspired by Joey Diaz quotes on Life)
The top Joey Diaz quotes on Life are really inspiring and motivate you to move ahead in life to achieve your desired goals or objectives. Some of the best quotes are mentioned below.
"I didn’t want to leave North Bergen, but I knew that for me to grow as a human being and for me too."
“Let’s say sometimes I go into an audition, or I go to a comedy club, or I’m waiting to go up. While you’re waiting to do anything, all of your insecurities come up.”
“Jersey has the most people per capita. It’s amazing, everybody wants to live in New Jersey.”
"I just showed up at the Comedy Store. You keep showing up, and you keep showing up, and eventually, somebody notices."
"I was making money in Colorado, I was taking classes at night, I had a ski pass, I had a nice apartment, and it made me get on a plane and go home for my birthday in 1984."
"Let’s say sometimes I go into an audition, or I go to a comedy club, or I’m waiting to go up. While you’re waiting to do anything, all of your insecurities come up."
"I remember looking at the year 2000 like something I was never going to hit."
"I thought I would be an extra one time in a movie. And I would have been happy with that."
"Now I had to leave my friends. And it was a tough decision, but I had to do it. And at that time, I didn’t know that any of this was even possible. I was just buying time every day."
"I lived in my car in Hollywood for a year, and then it got towed. My… apartment got towed. How… does that happen?"
Unforgettable Joey Diaz Quotes
The Quotes from Joey Diaz leave a long-lasting impression in your minds. They force you to think deeply about your own life and the place you have your roots in.
A lot of Diaz's comedy relies on the personal experiences he had during his life. He especially talks about where he came from, New Jersey, and how he finally feels peaceful after having a daughter and family. Here are a few mentioned below.
"I never dreamed that I’d be alive at 51 with a one-year-old babysitting on my lap. I never dreamed of that."
"Hey, I’m not rich, but I’m lucky. I get to do what I want to do. That’s not an easy thing to do in this country."
"'I’m Hispanic. I’m a Catholic. I believe in God. I believe in karma."
"Comedy had made its point; there was no reason to be a criminal when I had little things going with comedy. So comedy, in a way, saved my life."
"It brings back both. As soon as I land in Newark and I’m coming up on Route 3, I just start thinking about everything that happened in New Jersey from me growing up, and it’s both good and bad. But after about an hour or so, and I get some Chinese food, I’m back, I’m okay."
"If I see an audition for a show or a movie, I’ll send a tape in. I attack it. The whole time, I’m booking comedy, so no matter what, I always got that coming in. I’m always working on my craft."
"I want to write a book on addictions, just to let people know the horrible things I did and the horrible situations I’ve put myself in."
"I was just coming out of prison, I was married, and I had a kid, and I didn’t know what to do, so I tried stand-up."
"Bars were still open until seven in the morning, and it was still crazy, so I knew I couldn’t grow if I stayed there."
"Jersey’s amazing. Why? Because everybody always wants to be from New York, so we always had to work harder."
"I think I was always doomed to be involved in some type of comedy because I was an only child, so I learned early on to justify everything in my head with comedy."
"I’m also gonna do an audiobook—turning that into an audiobook."
“Jersey has the most people per capita. It’s amazing; everybody wants to live in New Jersey.”
Best of Joey Diaz quotes
You'll surely get those here if you are looking for some of the best Joey Diaz Quotes on life. Go through them and think about them.
"I thought I would be an extra one time in a movie. And I would have been happy with that."
"If you go on Wikipedia and look at all the people from Jersey, your jaw will drop."
"I’m trying to put together something online right now, like a small web series. In fact, I just met with the people on Sunday, and we’re going to meet again Monday to throw some ideas around."
"Hey, I’m not rich, but I’m lucky. I get to do what I want to do. That’s not an easy thing to do in this country."
"I’m a stand-up comic, but I also have ideas, and I want to get them out. People think getting in front of the mic is the only way to work out. You’ve got to try different situations."
"People don’t get help because they’re scared, but after I did that podcast on addictions last week, I really saw how many emails I got and how many people that I had never met confess to me."
“When you and I were growing up, we were fans of people. We had a poster of Richard Pryor on our wall or a poster of Led Zeppelin or Tool or Pink Floyd. That doesn’t exist today.”
"Like when something happens, and you add comedy to it, it makes it okay."
"Ford, Suzuki, Subaru—all those cars are good. Subaru went the extra mile—they give you free service now. Because it’s not about the product anymore; it’s about customer service and what you wrap around it."
"It’s funny, I went to Colorado at 19, and I missed New Jersey; I missed my friends so much."
“Bars were still open until seven in the morning and it was still crazy, so I knew I couldn’t grow if I stayed there.”
"When something bad happens like that at the time, you never think of… I never dreamed at that time."
"I want to write stories for my daughter."
Bold Joey Diaz Quotes
Diaz is such a big fan of comedy that he was known to prevent comedy routines even during his time in prison. He also has a podcast. These quotes from Joey Diaz might seem bold, but they represent his perspective on life. His vision is hidden in these quotes. Check these quotes mentioned below:
"I don’t have to carry my own suitcase. I can make a living as an author."
"I think it took me three years to get on stage after I got out of prison."
"In the back of my mind, at least I always had that comedy thing that when I’m good and ready to stop doing what I’m doing, I’ll be ready for comedy."
"The least I can do is show you my hand. I can’t talk to everybody. I can’t hug everybody. But I can be accessible to you."
"A week before my mother died, I came home late from a Halloween party, and my mother got mad at me and smacked me and the next morning, she apologized, and she said, “Listen, man. I do this to you because I want you to grow up to be a man.” And a week later, she died.'
"This is my whole life, New Jersey."
"The guy tells you the whole white version of what just happened."
"I like people with a little bit of edge to them. They gotta do something."
"I tell ya, you can walk out on your feet or crawl out on your knees, ya follow me?"
"I was going to call my friends in Jersey to send me money for a fax machine so I could fax Jay Leno jokes from prison. I swear to God. I was gonna do like three years; I was just gonna fax Jay Leno jokes."
"I’ve always been very proud of my Jersey roots."
“You start thinking about all these insecurities. Then I realized, You know what? I’m from New Jersey.”
"It's like a dream come true for me. ... I got my call, and I have to make the most of it."
