Tyler Perry Quotes & Sayings

'Madea' is a Southern term. It's short for 'mother dear.' So there are a lot of Madeas out there. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

I'm always on to something else. It's like, I'm sitting here now jotting down notes for something that's in my head. There's always something going on in my head, and I have to just keep executing. — Tyler Perry

I feel like I express myself, as an actor. Whatever the character is put in front of me, I try to bring truth to it, whichever way it lands. I try to bring as much truth to it and make it as believable as I can. I think that's the job of an actor. — Tyler Perry

Never wish to be somebody else. — Tyler Perry

Your beginning never dictates your destnation. — Tyler Perry

Childrens' laughter is like medicine to sadness. — Tyler Perry

It takes a while to build a dream — Tyler Perry

Focus on one thing, make it your priority, and stick with it no matter what! — Tyler Perry

You know, people don't want their intelligence insulted. They don't want to be preached to. They don't want to be degraded. All they want to do is sit, laugh, have a good time, love one another, forget about what's going on in the world, and find something out so they can be useful in this life. Do this and you have common sense. — Tyler Perry

You can get a thousand no's from people, and only one "yes" from God. — Tyler Perry

I think it's important to show a husband and a wife together, in a room, raising children, because you don't see that anymore. — Tyler Perry

My mother was truly my saving grace, because she would take me to church with her. I would see my mother smiling in the choir, and I wanted to know this God that made her so happy. If I had not had that faith in my life, I don't know where I would be right now. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

Teach but never try to change people because sometimes they change back. — Tyler Perry

If you lie to yourself you will lie to God too. — Tyler Perry

The dream will outlive the dreamer so dream big. — Tyler Perry

Forgiveness is giving up the hope of what happened to you from being different. — Tyler Perry

I had one request when I started doing the plays. My prayer was: God let me do well enough to be able to take care of my mother. I was able to do that 'til the day she died because of my audience. So, they've already done enough. All I ask for now is their continued support. — Tyler Perry

You really will reap what you sew. — Tyler Perry

You give away your power when you don't forgive. — Tyler Perry

You put some Vaseline under your eyes at night and under your chin, and you put a little bit on your chest and you'll avoid stretch marks and I'll get you some Vaseline, you can change your oil and fry chicken with it, too, but you best make sure you have something. — Tyler Perry

As far as the illusion of the fame, yes, I can definitely appreciate it. — Tyler Perry

You can't build your life around hurts from the past -Tyler Perry The Family That Preys — Tyler Perry

You close the door on me and tell me I can't, I'm gonna find a way to get in. — Tyler Perry

There were only 3 people that I wanted to meet in life, Nelson Mandela was one of them. What a life, what a journey, what a man. Thank you for passing this way! God bless your resting soul! — Tyler Perry

Hollywood is finally waking up to the fact that people who go to church also go to the movies. I'm not sure what took them so long to see that or how long they'll keep it up. — Tyler Perry

After Obama became president, I realized that black people could not have put him in the White House - it had to be a collective effort of everybody in the country. — Tyler Perry

When you put on your shortest dress, please leave some mystery in it. That's the difference between a miniskirt and a ho-skirt. A ho-skirt shows your Frisbee. A miniskirt shows just enough to cause some mystery. What these young women lack is mystery. — Tyler Perry

What do you spend $200 million on, with a film? I can't wrap my brain around that one. — Tyler Perry

A footstool is only needed when you need to get higher. Let your enemy lift you. — Tyler Perry

Fear is a sprit that really can stop you from living. — Tyler Perry

I have this huge, huge fan base of people who've never seen a Broadway show, but I think it's a great introduction to what Broadway is because my shows are not that. I think that if you're getting people to go to theater then somebody should be celebrating that. — Tyler Perry

I got 27 people livin in my head and all of them was about to beat the heck out of you for doin that.. — Tyler Perry

There will be rough nights but joy really does come in the morning. — Tyler Perry

A mother's love is stronger than distance, more powerful than time and can transcend the grave. — Tyler Perry

There's nothing like real forgiveness, a deep-down forgiveness
where you don't hold any grudges against people. I forgave for the things they
didn't know and for the things they didn't know to do. — Tyler Perry

Life is so precious, such a gift, you have to live for you. Live your own truth, live the life that God has put you and nobody else on this Earth to live and not what somebody might be telling you to live. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

Growing up, there was always music around, whether across the street, or on the next-door neighbor's stereo. So, as in life, music is always around, and it helps to heighten any emotion. Music is amazing. — Tyler Perry

If it had not been for The Lord on my side I don't know where I would be. — Tyler Perry

You need to know that you can't honor God when you're chained to the voice and opinions of man. — Tyler Perry

Prayer really can change things. — Tyler Perry

I think, you know, the people that have seen my work, I think it speaks to the possibility of getting better, and, I'm sorry, I'm still on the last caller. — Tyler Perry

When I have absolutely nothing to do, and I find myself in the middle of all of it going, "Wow!" When nothing's going on, that's when I get to stop and really appreciate the journey. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

I think we are born into what we're supposed to learn and find out in this life. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

The question that a lot of people ask me all the time is how did you make it? The truth be told, it was nothing but the grace of God. — Tyler Perry

I haven't had a worst business decision, because I believe all things work together for good. — Tyler Perry

I know I can only do as much as I can do. Although I have so many ideas of my own, I'm very interested in helping to cultivate and encourage some promising new artists. But there are a lot of people and, unfortunately, a very small window. — Tyler Perry

Children love their mothers. Especially with a boy child and his mother, there's a bond that's unbreakable. I love my mother to this day. — Tyler Perry

If you've ever watched anything that I do, and you completely give it a chance and take the blinders off, and you'll understand that the underlying theme of everything I've done has been about forgiveness, learning to move on. — Tyler Perry

You will always fine jealous people.They're the ones promoting you. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

Don't let people change who you are just be who you are with someone else. — Tyler Perry

If you don't want my God here, you don't want me here either. God has been too good to me to go and try to sell out to get some money. — Tyler Perry

I'm just enjoying my life.I suggest you try it. — Tyler Perry

There was our house in New Orleans. Two blocks in front of us were these beautiful mansions and two blocks behind us were the ghetto, projects, and that's where I had to go to school, but I would always pattern my life looking forward. It was almost literal. — Tyler Perry

If you are in business trying to make it, things are falling apart and you can't get it together and you don't know what is going on and you wanna stop. Don't stop. The only way you can make it and have true success in your life. And there's one way. You can't have any fear. — Tyler Perry

Life is so precious, such a gift, and that you have to live for you. — Tyler Perry

I am so proud to be from New Orleans and to be one of those people who had been displaced. I wasn't there during that time, but that's where I come from, that kind of poverty, and I'm very, very proud of that because it's given me my history. — Tyler Perry

It's most important that you surround yourself with positivity always, and have it in your mind at all times. — Tyler Perry

I put a thong on a few months ago trying to be sexy. I've been looking for it but ain't seen it since. — Tyler Perry

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? — Tyler Perry

Don't stop. Narrow your focus to one idea, and make it work. That will give birth to all of the others. All you can do is plant the seed and water it. — Tyler Perry

Oprah is very, very, very special to me. She's an amazing woman. — Tyler Perry

My life has always been - there's never been a middle. Either I had or I didn't. Either I was up or I was down. — Tyler Perry

I ain't going to talk to you until I am blue in the face trying to make you change. I'm going to tell you what's on my mind and hope you get it and I'm going to move on. That's what we have to do sometimes
move on. Try to help others, extend your hand, and then help the next. If they don't want to accept it, keep moving on. Don't let them discourage you. Never stop doing what you're doing because of somebody else's unwillingness to learn. — Tyler Perry

we didn't have much, but we had love. — Tyler Perry

I totally give credit to God for all of this stuff, because if I had tried to make these things happen, I couldn't have. To have all these things happen has been absolutely amazing. The road that I'm on is a path that I didn't choose. It chose me. I'm just trying to walk it, and to do the best that I can to honor and respect it. — Tyler Perry

What I know about me is that, in order to lead, you also have to know how to follow. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

I want a lot of people to see my movies. More black people. More white people. I want to make that connection. — Tyler Perry

Being alone doesn't necessarily mean that you're lonely. — Tyler Perry

Music is always around, and it helps to heighten any emotion. — Tyler Perry

Bitterness is as toxic as stage 4 cancer. — Tyler Perry

I don't know about marriage as much as I do know that I'd be a great father. — Tyler Perry

Don't share your dreams with everyone and don't be angry with non-dreamers. — Tyler Perry

I love to give. I've been a giver all my life. — Tyler Perry

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?' — Tyler Perry

You don't try to do anything that Morgan Freeman does. He was the voice of God in a movie. That's Morgan Freeman! — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

I'm a child who was abused. I know the difference. I clearly know the difference. The whipping for correction and then their child abuse. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

I've been pretty transparent with all that I've done. I think my work speaks a lot for who I am. So, I don't think there's a particular thing I'd like them to know. — Tyler Perry

Nothing is impossible for God. — Tyler Perry

I think that with everything I've done, in the end, whoever the central character is, they would find a way to forgive, because that's really important to me. — Tyler Perry

Who you are at 20 will not be who you are at 40 and if it is, SOMETHING IS WRONG! — Tyler Perry

I feel like I died as a child. — Tyler Perry

Everybody's got skeletons in the closets. Every once in a while, you've got to open up the closet and the let the skeletons breathe. Half the time, the very thing you think is gonna destroy you or ruin you is the very thing that nobody cares about. My advice to people with skeletons is to dust them off every now and then
as long as your closet's aint full of them. It's not good to have more than two or three. — Tyler Perry

I'm not an artist. I set the camera up and tell my story. — Tyler Perry

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. — Tyler Perry

I know my audience, and they're not people that the studios know anything about. — Tyler Perry

I thank God for Closed Doors — Tyler Perry

It ain't what people call you. It's what you answer to. — Tyler Perry

As I experience life and go through things, that's what I write about. — Tyler Perry

You can learn something from everything and everybody, especially the elderly. — Tyler Perry

Don't make a black woman take off her earrings". — Tyler Perry

When it all comes down to it, life isn't about how much we get - it's about how much we share. — Tyler Perry