Civil Rights: What black folks are given in the U.S. on the installment plan, as in civil-rights bills. Not to be confused with human rights, which are the dignity, stature, humanity, respect, and freedom belonging to all people by right of their birth.

Dick Gregory

Categorized in : Rights Confused Respect

Love is man's natural endowment, but he doesn't know how to use it. He refuses to recognize the power of love because of his love of power.

Dick Gregory

wisdom fun love-is

Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant, and this white waitress came up to me and said: 'We don't serve colored people here.' "I said: 'that's all right, I don't eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.

Dick Gregory

lasts white people

In America, with all of its evils and faults, you can still reach through the forest and see the sun. But we don't know yet whether that sun is rising or setting for our country.

Dick Gregory

evil country america

If all you can do is judge a person by their appearance, because you don't have the spirit to judge someone from within, you're in trouble.

Dick Gregory

trouble judging spirit

The most difficult thing to get people to do is to accept the obvious.

Dick Gregory

obvious accepting people

One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.

Dick Gregory

helping-others happiness people

I don't know why America always thinks she has to run all around the world forcing people to take our way of governance at the barrel of a gun. When you've got something really good, you don't have to force it on people. They will steal it!

Dick Gregory

gun running thinking

When I tune into my beautiful self, I get happiness.

Dick Gregory

tunes self beautiful

I am really enjoying the new Martin Luther King Jr stamp - just think about all those white bigots, licking the backside of a black man.

Dick Gregory

kings men thinking

Education means to bring out wisdom. Indoctrination means to push in knowledge.

Dick Gregory

diversity justice mean

Fear and God do not occupy the same space.

Dick Gregory

space

I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.

Dick Gregory

hate home school

Because I'm a civil rights activist, I am also an animal rights activist. Animals and humans suffer and die alike. Violence causes the same pain, the same spilling of blood, the same stench of death, the same arrogant, cruel and vicious taking of life. We shouldn't be a part of it.

Dick Gregory

pain rights animal

Poor is a state of mind you never grow out of, but being broke is just a temporary condition.

Dick Gregory

poverty poor mind

The only good thing about the good old days is they're gone.

Dick Gregory

old-days good-things gone

I chose to be an agitator. And there's one interesting thing about being an agitator - and I tell people - the next time you put your underwear in the washing machine, take the agitator out, and all you're going to end up with is some dirty, wet drawers.

Dick Gregory

people dirty interesting

The United States is the most dishonest, ungodly, unspiritual nation that ever existed in the history of the planet.

Dick Gregory

planets nations united-states

I waited at the counter of a white restaurant for eleven years. When they finally integrated, they didn't have what I wanted.

Dick Gregory

restaurants white years

Laughter is the best way to release tensions and fears.

Dick Gregory

release laughter way

Just being a Negro doesn't qualify you to understand the race situation any more than being sick makes you an expert on medicine.

Dick Gregory

medicine sick race