The NBA legend Charles Barkley quotes could inspire and motivate you.
Charles Barkley holds a legendary status in the NBA as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
He was nicknamed “Sir Charles” and “the Round Mound of Rebound” for his relentless and fearless playing style.
The 2006 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee could take on players notwithstanding their size, scoring points, and chances.
Throughout Barkley’s NBA career, he averaged 22.1 points per game, 11.7 rebounds per game, and 3.9 assists per game, recording eleven NBA All-Star selections, one NBA MVP, and one NBA All-Star game MVP.
Besides these imperial stats, Barkley established himself as a role model to many; he’s revered as one of the most controversial, outspoken, and influential players in the NBA’s history.
His personality was termed “larger than life,” and it gave rise to matters leading to national controversies.
However, Barkley disclaimed that he causes controversies, attributing his speeches to “speaking the truth.”
He declared, “I don’t create controversies. They’re there long before I open my mouth. I bring them to your attention.”
There have been several instances where Charles Barkley has spoken instinctively, and we shall bring these top 60 Charles Barkley quotes and sayings to your screen.
Top Charles Barkley Quotes & Sayings Of All Time
1. “Everybody wants to talk about black and white when the situation is really about rich people against poor people.”
2. “If you are black on television, you are probably going to be some thug, gangster, or portrayed in a negative light. If you are some Muslim, you are going to be blowing stuff up. If you are Hispanic, you are going to be some gangbanger. I’ve felt like this for years.”
3. “One of the reasons I don’t trust the media is you can’t have a double standard for guys you like and dislike.”
4. “Kids are born into the situation they’re born into, and obviously, they have no control over that. And we, as adults, it’s up to us to take care of kids – that’s part of your moral responsibility. I always tell people, ‘There are two groups we should take care of – old people and young people.”
5. “The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work.”
6. “When you steal from somebody, you are saying to them, ‘I don’t respect how hard you worked for your money.’ When somebody steals from you, that’s what they’re saying.”
7. “I think it is important for me to speak out on social issues. Sometimes people will agree with me. Sometimes people will disagree with me. I don’t take that personally.”
8. “At some point, I don’t want to have any obligation. and chill out.”
9. “Just because you watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ doesn’t mean you can do the operation.”
10. “Anybody who walks out peacefully, who protests peacefully, that’s what this country was built on.”
11. “Racism is the greatest cancer of my lifetime.”
12. “Everybody wants to protect their own tribe, whether they are right or wrong.”
13. “Poor people are too stupid to know they’re just chess pieces in a game.”
14. “I truly believe that building bridges, not building walls, and not giving in to fear will make our communities better.”
15. “I’m a mad dog whose only concern is winning.”
16. “For some reason, we’re brainwashed to think if you’re not a thug or an idiot, you’re not black enough. if you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligently, and don’t break the law, you’re not a good black person.”
17. “One thing about being famous is the people around you; you pay all their bills, so they very rarely disagree with you because they want you to pick up the check.”
18. “I think sports has done a disservice for a lot of black kids thinking they can only be successful through athletics and entertainment. I want them to know they can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, firemen, police officers, etc.”
19. “I’m never going to be one of those guys who gets on TV and yells and screams. That’s not how I do my business. But I’m very aware of social responsibility.
20. “My initial response was to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized that I had no character.”
21. “I’m willing to sit down with anybody and have constructive criticism.”
22. “If I screw up, I’m gonna say, ‘You know what? I really screwed up.’ That’s all you can do. Some people gonna forgive you. Some people are not gonna forgive you. That’s just the way it works.”
23. “My perspective is never gonna change on that… We’ve got to do a much better job to take care of poor people because you cannot put all the poor people in bad neighborhoods, send them to bad schools, and say, ‘Good luck in life.’ That’s not right.”
24. “I’m not a role model… just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.”
25. “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.”
26. “The only difference between a good shot and a bad shot is if it goes in or not.”
27. “Racism is here and will always exist, but we can’t use it as a crutch.”
28. “We only put the negative black people on television. We don’t put the good, hard-working black people.”
29. “You can’t sit on the sidelines of life.”
30. “Golf is fun – until you hit somebody in the head.”
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31. “It’s interesting – the greatest country in the world, we shouldn’t have people starving. we shouldn’t have young people not getting something to eat.”
32. “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. When you’re black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other black people.”
33. “We’re not all supposed to think alike.”
34. “I don’t think of myself as giving interviews. I have conversations. That gets me in trouble.”
35. “You know it’s going to hell when the best rapper out there is white, and the best golfer is black.”
36.”I understand the power of symbols, and if I had anything on my house that seriously offended someone, I’d take it down if for no other reason than common courtesy.”
37. “The Republicans always do a good job of dividing and conquering. They do an outstanding job of making black folks, poor white folks, and Hispanics not like each other.”
38. “If you’re a poor white person and your life sucks, it’s easy for you to blame Hispanics cos you don’t want to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the reason my life sucks.’ The Republicans do a good job exploiting that.”
39. “I wish the American public wasn’t so stupid if they realized that half the people on television make a living just to insult the other party.”
40. “Sometimes that light at the end of the tunnel is a train.”
41. “These are my new shoes. They’re good shoes. They won’t make you rich like me; they won’t make you rebound like me; they definitely won’t make you handsome. They’ll only make you have shoes like me. That’s it.”
42. “Somebody hits me; I’m going to hit him back. Even if it does look like he hasn’t eaten in a while.”
43. “I know that I’m never as good or bad as any single performance. I’ve never believed my critics or my worshippers, and I’ve always been able to leave the game at the arena.”
44. “What I try to do is I just want the fans to enjoy the game.”
45. “I think you have an obligation, to be honest.”
46. “Kids are great. That’s one of the best things about our business, all the kids you get to meet. It’s a shame they have to grow up to be regular people and come to the games and call you names.”
47. “See, my hope and dream are that people have a good time watching basketball. It’s not a church. It’s not serious.”
48. “I think anybody who is racist is an idiot whether they are black or white.”
49. “Look, I’m in the top 20 of players who ever lived.”
50. “We can’t pick out certain incidentals that don’t go our way and act like the cops are all bad… Do you know how bad some of these neighborhoods would be if it weren’t for the cops?”
51. “If you’re afraid of failure, you don’t deserve to be successful.”
52. “If I’m going to be straightforward like I always try to be, I know guys are going to come back at me sometimes.”
53. “Any time you criticize these young guys, they call you a hater. They never ask you if the criticism is fair or not.”
54. “What we, as black people, need to do is we need to worry about our education.”
55. “Fans have this perception that they can say anything to you because you are a celebrity.”
56. “I might go my whole life stealing money. I got paid to play basketball, which is a scam. I get paid to watch basketball, which is a scam.”
57. “My idea of religion is we are supposed to bring people together. We are not supposed to judge other people.”
58. “I’ve always said that: ‘we as black people, if you want respect, you have to give each other respect.’ you can’t demand respect from white people and the cops if we don’t respect each other.”
59. “We never discuss race in this country until something bad happens.”
60. “If you are born poor, whether white or black, you are going to be in a bad neighborhood and go to a bad school. if you are making three million dollars a year, a couple hundred thousand in taxes ain’t gonna kill you.”
To Wrap Up
Hopefully, you were inspired by these great quotes by Charles Barkley, one of the NBA legends.
Which of Charlese Barkley quotes is your personal favorite?
Have any of his great quotes that we forgot to include in this compilation? We’ll add it. Let us know in the comments below.
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