51 Dave Chappelle Quotes From The Hilarious Stand-Up Comedian

Dave Chappelle is one of, if not the, greatest stand-up comics from America.

Born in Washington D.C., Dave Chappelle first gained notoriety through his stand-up gigs and comedy specials which were critically acclaimed. He later gained superstardom with his show 'Chappelle's Show' where various socio-political issues were covered in funny and humorous skits.

However, the comedian famously left his show mid-way in 2006 due to not being able to handle the daily pressure of television. After years away from starlight, he returned to the comedy circuit in 2013 and since then has had many loved comedy specials on streaming platforms. Here are some Dave Chappelle quotes for you which include Dave Chappelle Clayton Bigsby quotes, Dave Chappelle Rick James quotes, Dave Chappelle Tyrone Biggums quotes and Dave Chappelle Prince quotes, and more Dave Chappelle quotes!

For more quotes like Dave Chappelle quotes, take a look at Chris Farley Quotes and Louis CK quotes.

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Here are some of the most well-known Dave Chappelle quotes.

1. "One of the things that happens when people make the leap from a certain amount of money to tens of millions of dollars is that the people around you dramatically change."

- Dave Chappelle.

2. "The mark of greatness is when everything before you is obsolete, and everything after you bears your mark."

- Dave Chappelle.

3. "I'm famous today. People like me today. Might not like me tomorrow. You can't count on it."

- Dave Chappelle.

4. "You know, for a while, I was kind of sequestered. Well, sequestered is not the right word. It was more like Superman’s self-imposed exile."

- Dave Chappelle.

5. "I was shocked that nobody ever talked about what it feels like to watch a man get murdered that way by a man in a police uniform..."

- Dave Chappelle.

6. "I looked up to him like everybody did. I didn’t know him that well, but the times that we hung out were fun and very memorable and often funny."

- Dave Chappelle on Prince.

7. "I was only gone for two weeks! They made it sound like it was so mysterious."

- Dave Chappelle.

8. “Because I was surrounded by so much negativity at some point that it took me going back and doing stand-up to realize, you know, people really like me.”

- Dave Chappelle.

9. "I don't do any jokes that old. I might have maybe one or two jokes from high school that I still do!"

- Dave Chappelle.

10. "This country was founded on racism and it is all still there. Because I am black, I am only three-fifths of a man in the US constitution."

- Dave Chappelle.

11. "I wanted to have a meaningful life, a spiritual life, not just what my hands can hold..."

- Dave Chappelle.

12. "The opportunities that you have, you're privileged in ways that you might not even realize because you haven't been deprived of certain things. We need to talk about these things in order for them to change."

- Dave Chappelle.

13. "When I'm on stage, I get real happy there. Maybe that's the only time in my adult life I feel like myself."

- Dave Chappelle

14. "You know you must be doing something right if old people like you."

- Dave Chappelle.

15. "The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching."

– Dave Chappelle.

Take a look at these great Dave Chappelle quotes.

16. "The thing that people most will remember me for is Chappelle’s Show. If I were to never do anything else, that show would be a culmination of what was a very long and tedious process of me learning how to be in the television business."

– Dave Chappelle.

17. "I wanted to have a meaningful life, a spiritual life, not just what my hands can hold. I felt like I've always had this notion that life should mean something."

– Dave Chappelle.

18. "What a tragic footnote to a tragic culture. This is a lot to unpack. Nights like this are important. Just talking about it."

– Dave Chappelle, on George Floyd.

19. "For the last however many months, we've done like 26 shows here and it's expensive and it's hard... To me, it's very meaningful. I [have] done a million shows, but the last 26 meant so much to me because it's like my community's offering to the world."

– Dave Chappelle.

20. "It's been presented in the public space in such a narrow and dismissive view... It's a beautiful religion."

– Dave Chappelle, on Islam.

21. "Change is never like a comfortable proposition. It's uncomfortable before it's comfortable again."

– Dave Chappelle.

22. "To see a black man on TV, holding his own with a white man, that was television history."

- Dave Chappelle.

23. "Say what you will about Paul Mooney, he always delivers the goods. What comes out of his mind is comic genius at its best."

- Dave Chappelle, on Paul Mooney.

24. "I don’t know how the whole Dave Chappelle thing is gonna end. But I feel like I’m gonna be like some kind of parable."

- Dave Chappelle, during an interview with Lipton.

25. “After a while, a joke, if you say it too much, just becomes contrived, or fake-sounding”.

- Dave Chappelle.

26. "If you're Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and your marriage is breaking up - that's an awful thing. But to see that speculation in people, it's gotta sting a little bit."

- Dave Chappelle.

27. "You can become famous but you can't become unfamous. You can become infamous but not unfamous."

- Dave Chappelle.

28. "The thing that comforts me about it is the idea that all of this is from a singular source and the source is ultimately kind."

– Dave Chappelle, on Islam.

29. "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing."

- Dave Chappelle.

30. "I've been a comedian since I was fourteen. But I've never really been a CEO."

- Dave Chappelle.

31. "I have all these weird fantasies. Going coast-to-coast on my motorcycle and having random barbecues all over America. No show, no nothing."

- Dave Chappelle.

32. "Jerry Seinfeld, he was doing Letterman show all the time, so he kind of had an excuse, that people know the jokes already. He didn't have time to do stand-up. A guy like me, I have no excuses."

- Dave Chappelle.

33. "It seems like there's never enough famous white people among comic in Hollywood."

- Dave Chappelle.

34. The only thing harder than leaving showbusiness is coming back.

- Dave Chappelle.

35. "I don't care if I ever work in TV again."

- Dave Chappelle.

Humorous Dave Chappelle quotes are all you need to lighten up your day.

36. "White power! Colin Powell... Condoleezza Rice. Condoleezza Rice, sounds like Mexican dish."

- Dave Chappelle as Clayton Bigsby.

37. "Maybe we should put her on a plate and send her to Mexico so the Mexicans will eat her."

- Dave Chappelle as Clayton Bigsby.

38. “Remember what the Bible says: He who is without sin, cast the first rock.”

- Dave Chappelle as Tyrone Biggums.

39. “Why do you think I carjacked you, Rhonda?”

- Dave Chappelle as Tyrone Biggums.

40. “You know what dog food tastes like? Do you? It tastes just like it smells... delicious.”

- Dave Chappelle as Tyrone Biggums.

41. “I'm sorry, Charlie Murphy, it was an accident. I was having too much fun. I offer you a truce.”

- Rick James, ‘Chappelle’s Show’.

42. “Rick James: Darkness, why you hit me like that?

Charlie Murphy: You hit me!”

- ‘Chappelle’s Show’.

43. “I think every group of black guys should have at least one white guy in it.”

- Dave Chappelle.

44. “Something about New York, man: You can do more comedy there probably than you can anywhere in the world. If you're interested in being funny, New York is the place to go.”

- Dave Chappelle.

45. "Will you cut the malarkey! There’s a white man talking here!"

– Dave Chappelle, when he put on white face and the audience booed at him.

These are some wonderful quotes about Dave Chappelle and his show.

46. "Chappelle takes on blackface minstrelsy in a reversal of this trope by wearing whiteface makeup when he plays the leader of the white delegation."

- Rick DesRochers.

47. "The crux of [Chappelle’s] crisis seems to boil down to his almost obsessive need to 'check my intentions.' He uses the phrase a few times during the interview and explains that it means really making sure that he’s doing what he’s doing for the right reasons"

- John Farley.

48. "Dave Chappelle is a gifted comedian (who obviously belongs in the comedy discourse community) known for putting a spin on serious issues to make his audience laugh, which is something he does very well in his sketch comedy program, Chappelle’s Show."

- David Galvez, 'Intertextuality And Understanding Dave Chappelle’s Comedy'.

49. "What fuels this spotty but often funny sketch-comedy series is a kind of laid-back indignation, a refusal to believe that ignoring racial differences will make anyone's life better."

- Elvis Mitchell, on the 'Chappelle's Show'.

50. "He has got a very unique process and he can turn over an hour like no one has ever seen before... He's the best ever at turning over a new hour."

- Joe Rogan.

51. "He successfully walks a fine line, being punchy without offending."

- William Thomas.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Dave Chappelle quotes then why not take a look at comedian quotes, or Johnny Carson quotes.