Tyler Perry
Developing a good work ethic is key. Apply yourself at whatever you do, whether you're a janitor or taking your first summer job, because that work ethic will be reflected in everything you do in life.Collection: Work
What I've been able to do with my character, Madea, and the other characters, with the jokes, is use it as an anesthetic to get to the heart and soul of real issues. And what I've found on stage over the years is that, while making people laugh, I can drop in pearls of wisdom.Collection: Wisdom
Forgiveness is important in families, especially when there are so many secrets that need to be healed - for the most part, every family's got them.Collection: Family
Everyone can relate to love, hurt, pain, learning how to forgive, needing to get over, needing the power of God in their life.Collection: Moving
It's not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you.Collection: Forgiveness
I don't know about marriage as much as I do know that I'd be a great father.Collection: Marriage
I don't think the dreams die - I think that people give up. I think it gets too hard.Collection: Dreams
There are a lot of people who have dreams, goals, and hopes, but there aren't a lot who get to see them realized.Collection: Dreams
My father who was there in the house, he wasn't at all a role model. And my mother, who was trying to protect me from him as best she could, she took me everywhere with her, which gave me a tremendous amount of sensitivity to the things women go through.Collection: Women
I want a lot of people to see my movies. More black people. More white people. I want to make that connection.Collection: Movies
My biggest success is getting over the things that have tried to destroy and take me out of this life. Those are my biggest successes. It has nothing to do with work.Collection: Work
The Bible says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. I believe that. Because I've seen it all work.Collection: Work
The most important thing that I learned in growing up is that forgiveness is something that, when you do it, you free yourself to move on.Collection: Forgiveness
If you look at everything I do - even in 'Boo!' there's a message, and it's always 'faith, family, forgiveness.' That's the greatest gift that I've been given. I can get a message to the very people I grew up with, the millions who love what I do.Collection: Forgiveness
The heart of who I am as a person and as a man is forgiveness, after forgiving my father for a lot of things that were done when I was child.Collection: Forgiveness
The key to life when it gets tough is to keep moving. Just keep moving.Collection: Life
Happiness for me is totally just being at peace knowing that, everything I'm doing, God is pleased with that. It's complete peace for me.Collection: Peace
I'm not a social media person; I don't know what's going on unless somebody tells me.
You can never be upset with the people who forced you into your dream or up higher.
'Madea' is a Southern term. It's short for 'mother dear.' So there are a lot of Madeas out there.
I don't like popcorn, and I think it's so annoying when people have popcorn in the theaters. That is the loudest food.
When black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move Heaven and Earth.
Children love their mothers. Especially with a boy child and his mother, there's a bond that's unbreakable.
Don't believe the hype. I don't care how many number ones you have at the box office, I don't care how much they say you're great, don't believe it. Just stay in your lane and do what you're supposed to do.
My first show was called 'I Know I've Been Changed' in '92. I tried to do this show for years and years. It kept failing over and over and over again. Every time I went out to do the show, nobody showed up. I was like, 'What is this about?'
I love a good breakfast - grits and eggs, French toast, turkey bacon. My grandmother on my father's side used to make tea cakes, and her breakfasts were unbelievable. There was fresh ham, and she would go out to the yard to get fresh eggs. She lived in rural Louisiana, and we'd spend summers with her.
I get a lot of flack from critics that my comedies are all over the place, my dramas are all over the place, they're schizophrenic - as if I don't know that!
If you look at 'The Have and the Have Nots,' I didn't want to write a show where everyone is great and wonderful and perfect. I wanted to write it so that you're not really sure who the haves are. You look at Hanna, and you see that she doesn't have much, but she has great faith.
I feel like I died as a child.
He who has the gold makes the rules.
I was a very poor young black boy in New Orleans, just a face without a name, swimming in a sea of poverty trying to survive.
I remember being a kid and praying in the hell of my house to have somebody love me and somebody that I could love.
What I've learned is you treat women right.
If you haven't forgiven someone, it does not hurt that person. They're sleeping at night. You're holding onto that, and all the damage is being done to you internally.
We are all allowed to support whoever we'd like to in this country. That's the greatest part about being an American - one of them, that is; you know what I mean?
Norman Lear is my all-time, ultimate hero. He's an amazing man. That's one person I'm looking forward to meeting. What he did, with shows and sitcoms, he's my hero.
I know that there are a lot of people out there with stories far worse than mine but you, too, can make it. To those of you who have, welcome to life. I celebrate you.
Macaroni and cheese was my mother's special dish. She'd also make jambalaya and dirty rice and bake a ham that would be incredible. And greens. But if you were looking for vegetables and healthy things, there weren't a lot of those.
I'm not sure why no one wants to admit there's a viable audience out there that believes in God and wants to see a movie with their family. The demand is there. The supply is not.
Did you know you can't say 'Jesus' in a sitcom? They told me that, and I was like, You gotta be kiddin' me. If you don't want my God here, you don't want me here either.
You know, people at Wal-Mart are standing there with their uniforms on. I feel like I'm putting on a uniform to do a movie. I don't feel like it's dressing in drag.
I have very simple tastes. An ex-girlfriend used to tell me I have the palate of a kid because there are only five or six foods that I love. And if you rotate them on a regular basis, that's all I need to eat - like arugula, spinach, and grilled chicken.
I don't want to leave this planet until I achieve everything that I was put here to do.
It's a dream realized to partner with Oprah and bring scripted programming to OWN. She has accomplished so much with the network, and I'm excited to work with her to be a part of its continued growth.
You close the door on me and tell me I can't, I'm gonna find a way to get in.
Statistics say that I'm supposed to be in jail. And I'm not supposed to be alive.
There's this great thing called the 'Chitlin' Circuit,' which I started my shows on and back in the day when, you know, Ray Charles and Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, they couldn't get into white establishments, so they went on this circuit and toured. They were huge stars in their own community, you know, and that's pretty much my same story.
I think every one of us, in life, have some sort of moment that has happened that we wish we could have done differently or that we wish could have had a different outcome.
I've never chased money. It's always been about what I can do to motivate and inspire people.
You don't try to do anything that Morgan Freeman does. He was the voice of God in a movie. That's Morgan Freeman!