Barkley Charles Quotes & Sayings

We're just playing basketball. It's not like we're going out to have unprotected sex with Magic. — Charles Barkley

You can't start a diet in the middle of the week, that's just stupid. — Charles Barkley

Any time a little midget does something like this, you gotta give him a 10!. — Charles Barkley

I don't hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime. — Charles Barkley

I think anybody who is racist is an idiot whether they are black or white. — Charles Barkley

There's only 5 real jobs in the world. Teacher, fireman, policeman, doctor and somebody who is in the armed service. If you don't have one of those 5 jobs, you shouldn't take your life that serious. — Charles Barkley

I don't believe athletes should be role models ... We're a one-shot deal, one in a million, so we should be the least likely role models ... I think one of the problems in society today is that we don't stress education enough, because we glorify athletes, actors and actresses. — Charles Barkley

I'm not paid to be a role model, parents should be role models. — Charles Barkley

Social media is where losers go to feel important. — Charles Barkley

Christian is going to be the strongest man in the NBA next year, because all he's been doing all summer is carrying around the luggage for 11 guys. — Charles Barkley

I want to be a politician. I think I understand how the system works, I think a lot of politicians are corrupt, and it's about time we put some people in there who are going to look out for the majority of the people instead of the rich people. — Charles Barkley

I think it sucks that in our country [the USA] there is such a double standard education-wise. Which part of the city you live in, or something like that, determines if you'll be successful, and that's not fair. — Charles Barkley

I'm a mad dog whose only concern is winning. — Charles Barkley

Anytime a fan touches you, you have the right to beat the hell out of him — Charles Barkley

I think you have an obligation to be honest. — Charles Barkley

Only poor people go to jail. — Charles Barkley

It ain't like we're curing cancer or anything, we're watching basketball. — Charles Barkley

When you read the book you see that these guys aren't holding any punches. They're straightforward. They're honest. They're giving you their honest opinion. — Charles Barkley

Unfortunately, as I tell my white friends, we as black people, we're never going to be successful not because of you white people but because of other black people, — Charles Barkley

I think that the team that wins game five will win the series. Unless we lose game five. — Charles Barkley

Every time I think about changing a diaper, I run a little bit harder and a little bit faster to make sure I can afford a nanny until my daughter's old enough to take care of that herself. — Charles Barkley

I don't listen to the refs. I don't listen to anyone who makes less money than I do. — Charles Barkley

I don't think of myself as giving interviews. I just have conversations. That gets me in trouble. — Charles Barkley

I don't mess with that cat. I'm pretty sure he carries a blade under his jersey. — Charles Barkley

What does politically correct mean? If you're fat, don't ask me if you're fat, because I'm gonna tell you the truth. You're fat. — Charles Barkley

My wife's married. I'm not. — Charles Barkley

You know what's amazing to me? America. There have been so many people who have stepped up, and I'm just proud to be an American. Yeah, there were some mistakes made, but I don't play the blame game. Let's move forward and rebuild New Orleans. — Charles Barkley

I want her to understand that it's going to be a factor in her life. I just want her to know that (racism) does exist, and I want her to always be diligent, and if she sees it, address it and fight it. — Charles Barkley

My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character. — Charles Barkley

Thank God for Jerry Springer's show. I thought only black folks were that screwed up until I watched Jerry Springer. — Charles Barkley

It bothers me when I hear these reporters and jocks get on TV and say: 'Oh, no guy can come out in a team sport. These guys would go crazy.' First of all, quit telling me what I think. I'd rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can't play. — Charles Barkley

Poor white people and poor black people just don't know how much they have in common. Rich people don't give a damn about either group. — Charles Barkley

Everybody in New York thinks the Knicks are Playboy bunnies, and I have been telling them for years the Knicks are a rabbit. They're closer to a Playboy bunny this year but for the last few years these guys are like, 'We have a really good team!' And I say, 'You really think that?' And I say, 'No, they don't.' But this is the best team they've had in a while. — Charles Barkley

I don't care what people think. people are stupid. — Charles Barkley

Most sportswriters don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. — Charles Barkley

It's the kind of game that makes you go home and beat your wife. — Charles Barkley

There's no medical term for what I've got. — Charles Barkley

Poor people cannot rely on the government to come to help you in times of need. You have to get your education. Then nobody can control your destiny. — Charles Barkley

If you're scarde to fail, you don't deserve to be successful. — Charles Barkley

If you can't slam with the best, then jam with the rest — Charles Barkley

Being black or white isn't an accomplishment. What you do with your life - or what you accomplish with your life - dictates what you should be proud of. — Charles Barkley

I believe ghosts are like dogs and they just sort of do things arbitrarily. — Charles Barkley

I like to help poor people who got no chance. If rich people don't, who will? Not other poor people, that's for sure. — Charles Barkley

If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she's ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he can't play a lick. Same thing. — Charles Barkley

I'm just what America needs: another unemployed black man. (on his retirement from basketball) — Charles Barkley

If all babies are so cute, how the hell do we have so many ugly people in the world? — Charles Barkley

Any professional league that goes on strike right now - that's just suicide. — Charles Barkley

I got pulled over when I was behind the wheel of a Porsche in Philly once for what we call DWB - Driving While Black. — Charles Barkley

Somebody hits me, I'm going to hit him back. Even if it does look like he hasn't eaten in a while. — Charles Barkley

If somebody hits you with an object you should beat the hell out of them. — Charles Barkley

I do not use words like liberal or conservative. You can ask me a question and I will give you an answer. Those are words rich people on television use to divide and conquer. — Charles Barkley

If ifs were gifts, every day would be Christmas. — Charles Barkley

Preseason is just a way to screw fans out of money. — Charles Barkley

Those Grizzlies are more like pandas. — Charles Barkley

Stevie Wonder could make one of 23 shots. - On North Carolina missing 22 of its last 23 shots in losing to Georgetown in the NCAA tournament. — Charles Barkley

White folks are not going to come to see a bunch of guys with tattoos, with cornrows. I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks different, they're stupid. — Charles Barkley

If a guy drew a charge on me, I tried to kick him in the balls. — Charles Barkley

People always say he can run and he can jump. So can a deer and you wouldn't put a deer in the game. — Charles Barkley

They run like deer, jump like deer and think like deer. — Charles Barkley

But when I see a story on welfare on television, they only show black people. — Charles Barkley

If Michael Jordan was a damn plumber, he couldn't get a date. Any guy got $500 million looks good. — Charles Barkley

People say I eat a lot. I really don't. More or less I just eat all the time. — Charles Barkley

He's got to bring something stronger than that. That's like bringing milk to a bar, it's not strong enough — Charles Barkley

This place? Nothing positive. OK, I want to say something positive. It's positively a dump. — Charles Barkley

Everybody in the world has an ego. The only difference between us is we have a reason to have an ego. — Charles Barkley

I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It. — Charles Barkley

They always try to make it like jocks discriminate against gay people. I've been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can't be in for any form of discrimination at all. — Charles Barkley

As long as anti-gay legislation exists in any state, I strongly believe big events such as the Final Four and Super Bowl should not be held in those states' cities. — Charles Barkley

You know it's going to hell when the best rapper out there is white and the best golfer is black. — Charles Barkley

What I try to do is, I just want the fans to enjoy the game. — Charles Barkley

When you're black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other black people. It's a dirty, dark secret; I'm glad it's coming out. — Charles Barkley

Just because you say something doesn't make it controversial, and it doesn't make you a bad person. — Charles Barkley

On game days, I could be in the worst mood imagiable-a really bad mood. But sometimes, I'd get a call from the Make-A-Wish Foundation-there would be people, sometimes kids, who anted to meet me before they died. And the foundation would call on a game day and say, "There's kid dying here whose last wish is to see you. Can you just come and see him?" I'd get there and sometimes the kid would be comatose. One day, a kid woke up for a split second and smiled at me. I was told he'd been hanging on. The mom and dad called me later and said, "I don't know what yu did to him, but those few moments were wonderful." And I cried all the way to the game, just cried my eyes out.
It's very scary. It's uplifting, too, but so scary. And then ... I'm bitching because my breakfast is cold? — Charles Barkley

See, my hope and dream is that people have a good time watching basketball. It's not church. It's not serious. — Charles Barkley

I never would say a player stinks. Ever. I'll tell you their team stinks, and first of all, they know their team stinks. And the fans know their team stinks. — Charles Barkley

I know a lot of people did a lot of heavy lifting to make me successful and I do everything in my power not to screw it up. — Charles Barkley

I'm afraid of the skeletons in my closet. I've got a whole cemetery full of them. — Charles Barkley

I don't know what that gas is made of, but it can't smell any worse than Ernie Johnson 's gym bag. — Charles Barkley

I'm never embarassed. — Charles Barkley

I'm really disturbed about the gay marriage thing. Because I think gay people should get married, cause it's their own business ... Because as a Black man, I think you've got to be against any form of discrimination. — Charles Barkley

I remember sitting down with the Rockets and saying, 'Yeah. I'm going to retire.' They said, 'Well, we'll give you $9 million.' And I said, 'You got a pen on you?' — Charles Barkley

I don't know anything about Angola, but Angola's in trouble. — Charles Barkley

Every time I hear the word conservative it makes me sick to my stomach ... — Charles Barkley

My brother was a huge Charles Barkley fan - my brother went to Miami. He played power forward, and he always used to tell me stories about Barkley and college. And I watched Barkley growing up. I loved what he brought to the game. His toughness and just his attitude, being as strong he was. — Paul Pierce

All I know is, as long as I led the Southeastern Conference in scoring, my grades would be fine. — Charles Barkley

We don't need refs, but I guess white guys need something to do. — Charles Barkley

My family got all over me because they said Bush is only for the rich people. Then I reminded them, 'Hey, I'm rich'. — Charles Barkley

I don't how anybody taller than 6-4 can sit in those seats. And the airline executives don't give a damn 'cause they never walk back there in the first place. I don't fly first class because I have a lot of money. I do it because I need the room. — Charles Barkley

What I told [my teammates] after the game was I'm just fortunate [for] my 16 years because, this [injury] can happen every single night you go out and play ... It can be over in one instant, so you should appreciate everyday. — Charles Barkley

People always say turn the other cheek. If you turn the other cheek, I'm gonna hit you in the other cheek too. — Charles Barkley

Say, Cuttino. What are those Godawful clothes you're wearing? Man, this ain't Rhode Island anymore. You're in the NBA. The girls have teeth here. — Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler and I used to argue for hours about who the best athletes are. I thought football players were better overall. — Warren Moon

I know I'm never as good or bad as one single performance. I've never believed in my critics or my worshippers, and I've always been able to leave the game at the arena. — Charles Barkley

I can be bought. If they paid me enough, I'd work for the Klan. — Charles Barkley

Adrian Dantley is a guy that I looked at ... on how to maneuver my body around. — Charles Barkley

I read that heavy drinking is bad for your health. I decided I better stop reading. — Charles Barkley

Hakeem couldn't kick your ass cause you were too close, kissing his! — Charles Barkley

If I weren't earning $3 million a year to dunk a basketball, most people on the street would run in the other direction if they saw me coming. — Charles Barkley

I just wish all these young black kids would realize how significant it is to stop acting a fool out there, killing each other, not getting their education. You know, people have died to put us in a situation to be successful. — Charles Barkley

Hey Steve, no offense, but if you couldn't shoot, there would be no reason for you to be alive. — Charles Barkley