Tommy Chong (Thomas B. Kin Chong) Quotes
When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into an activist. Up until the time I went to jail, I was just a comedian.
Quotes to Explore
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The comedian can put the punchline out there, but it's the audience that receives it - and has to get it.
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People are going to label you anyway, but the one that bugs me the most is when they say, 'One of the funniest female comedians.' There's s no 'funniest male comedians.' You're either a funny comedian, or you're not!
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Most people figured I'd be in jail. I've been proving people wrong my whole life.
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I've been a comedian, hosted travel shows, explored world religions, started improv troupes, given keynote speeches at conferences around the country, and had a milk shake named after me called the Handicappuccino.
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I always wanted to be a stand-up comedian, even as a kid. Me and my dad would watch 'Evening at the Improv' on A&E.
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Carlos, on paper, and Carlos, the guy who was in jail, is known to be a cultivated guy, the guy who handles big amounts of information, and for me, that was very important.
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As soon as I got out of jail, as soon as my trial was over, first of all, during the time I was in jail, there was an organization called the National United Committee to Free Angela Davis, and I insisted that it be called National United Committee to Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners.
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I had to write a comedy set and film a show at the same time. And it's the second time I've been up on stage as a stand-up comedian with untested material. I was saying it out loud for the first time that night. It didn't go how I expected, but in the best possible way.
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A comedian is not funny unless he is taking his demons out for a walk.
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I've already produced one hour specials for other comedians and I have a TV show called Stand Up Revolution where I showcase new talent and so I'd like to continue to do stuff like that and help out the next guy.
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Comedians on the stage are invariably suicidal when they get home.
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And don't worry, if I get thrown in jail in Manila, Beyonce will just bail me out. Sold out night 2 in the Philippines. I love it here!
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People were threatened, folks was put in jail just because we wanted people to try to register to vote.
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So much of my work is as Yara, not as a character. If you're attacking my work as a philanthropist or activist, you're attacking Yara. But because of "Black-ish" and this national audience we have, I get to have a larger or louder voice.
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That's why when I send a postcard I quiz people. "Hey, did you get that postcard?" "Yeah, yeah yeah." "Well what'd I say?" "Uh, you were havin-" "I was in jail"
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There is this false perception that comedians can never be serious. It's like from like the era of court jesters.
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I believe that comedians do what they do, and then they get credit or criticism for doing it. There's nothing planned about this.
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The tone is set at home. If parents know their kids are skipping classes, they are our biggest ally to get them back into class.
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Half the time, you go on any one of these news sites, whether it be a Yahoo or a Google, and one of the top headlines is always, "Did a comedian go too far?" or "Comedian offends." It's like, "Really? Comedian?" A person that's supposed to make funny and make silly and historically was the only person who was allowed to make fun of the king? We're the ones that you're taking seriously?
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It was a bizarre existence I led in my early twenties - that cliche of the comedian who goes out and entertains a roomful of people and then goes home to a lonely bedsit was unbelievably poignant for me because that was exactly what I was doing. I had periods of real loneliness.
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Prayer does not influence God. Prayer surely does influence God. It does not influence His purpose. It does influence His action.
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If you're working with a spreadsheet or a thread of correspondence or a set of data, I'm not sure you're doing your best work if you're doing it on an iPhone.
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When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into an activist. Up until the time I went to jail, I was just a comedian.
