Ellen DeGeneres is an American writer, comedian, television host, actress, and producer. She was born on January 26, 1958, in Louisiana. Ellen began her career in the 1980s and starred in the famous sitcom Ellen beginning from 1994 to 1998. DeGeneres hosted her partnered TV talk show, known as The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2003.
When we talk about courage, DeGeneres is a perfect example. She was the first openly gay actress to feature as a lesbian character on TV, and became an inspirational figure to the many LGBT adults and teens who struggled to accept themselves as gay. However, her courage came at a cost, since her show was canceled after, and to make it worse, DeGeneres was blacklisted by the casting agents.
Ellen demonstrated perseverance when she pushed on through the difficult times, where she emerged a winner and even stronger and successful than ever and at the same time, nudging America towards the acceptance of LGBTs. Ellen DeGeneres received a presidential medal of freedom. Below is a collection of our favorite Ellen DeGeneres quotes that will show you how you can live a meaningful life of purpose and joy with self-acceptance.
Ellen DeGeneres Quotes
1. “Most comedy is based on getting a laugh at somebody else’s expense. And I find that that’s just a form of bullying in a major way. So I want to be an example that you can be funny and be kind, and make people laugh without hurting somebody else’s feelings.”– Ellen DeGeneres
2. “I don’t know what people are scared of. Maybe they think their children will be influenced, but I’ve got to tell you, I was raised by two heterosexuals. Everywhere I looked — heterosexuals. And they did not influence me. It’s time we love people for who they are and let them love who they want.”– Ellen DeGeneres
3. “Here are the values that I stand for: honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values.”– Ellen DeGeneres
4. “In the beginning there was nothing. God said, ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.”– Ellen DeGeneres
5. “True beauty is not related to what color your hair is or what color your eyes are. True beauty is about who you are as a human being, your principles, your moral compass.”– Ellen DeGeneres
6. “I don’t need a baby growing inside me for nine months. If I’m going to feel nauseous and achy when I wake up, I want to achieve that state the old-fashioned way: getting good and drunk the night before.”– Ellen DeGeneres
7. “Even before I knew I was gay, I knew I didn’t want to have a child. I knew I didn’t want to have one. I never want to have to release it from me. Listen, I love babies. I love children. And I melt when I’m around them. I also love my freedom and I love that I can sleep at night.”– Ellen DeGeneres
8. “Be nice to everyone, even though you don’t want to and you may not like certain people. Be kind, friendly, and respectful even if people are not nice to you.”– Ellen DeGeneres
9. “The most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and not to give into peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not, to live your life as an honest and compassionate person, to contribute in some way.”– Ellen DeGeneres
10. “Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for – in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”– Ellen DeGeneres
11. “Start thinking positively. You will notice a difference. Instead of ‘I think I’m a loser,’ try ‘I definitely am a loser.’ Stop being wishy-washy about things! How much more of a loser can you be if you don’t even know you are one? Either you are a loser or you are not. Which is it, stupid?”– Ellen DeGeneres
12. “My dad is still Christian Scientist. My mom’s not, and I’m not. But I believe in God, and that there’s a higher power and an intelligence that’s bigger than us and that we can rely on. It’s not just us, thinking we are the ones in control of everything. That idea gives me support.”– Ellen DeGeneres
13. “I’ve moved about 10 times over the past 15 years. I don’t move for the sole purpose of getting rid of stuff. I’m not crazy. I also move so that I never have to wash any windows.”– Ellen DeGeneres
14. “While I was doing stand-up, I thought I knew for sure that success meant getting everyone to like me. So I became whoever I thought people wanted me to be. I’d say yes when I wanted to say no.”– Ellen DeGeneres
15. “When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail and both are equally important.”– Ellen DeGeneres
16. “It’s our challenges and obstacles that give us layers of depth and make us interesting. Are they fun when they happen? No. But they are what make us unique.”– Ellen DeGeneres
17. “Find out who you are and be that person. That’s what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come.”– Ellen DeGeneres
18. “Though you feel like your not where you’re suppose to be, you shouldn’t worry because the next turn you take, it will lead you to where you wanna go.”– Ellen DeGeneres
19. “If we’re destroying our trees and destroying our environment and hurting animals and hurting one another and all that stuff, there’s got to be a very powerful energy to fight that. I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.”– Ellen DeGeneres
20. “Trying to get the talk show, looking back on it, we had to beg a lot of station managers to pick up the show because people thought no one would watch it because I’m openly gay.”– Ellen DeGeneres
21. “I do have ADD and in real life, I’m all over the place and can hardly focus. If we were talking for, for more than an hour or so, I’d start drifting off… I can’t sit still too long.”– Ellen DeGeneres
22. “You know, radio DJ’s must really love to talk to theirselves. Especially when they have the graveyard shift. ‘Hey this is Ellen with 89.1. It is currently three in the morning. There are few cars on the road. And it your still listening heres a little music to get you to dance.”– Ellen DeGeneres
23. “The problem with labels is that they lead to stereotypes and stereotypes lead to generalizations and generalizations lead to assumptions and assumptions lead back to stereotypes.”– Ellen DeGeneres
24. “It must be around forty, when you’re “over the hill.” I don’t even know what that means and why it’s a bad thing. When I go hiking and I get over the hill, that means I’m past the hard part and there’s a snack in my future. That’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.”– Ellen DeGeneres
Related: Hiking Quotes
25. “Asking who’s “the man” and who’s “the woman” in a same-sex relationship is like asking which chopstick is the fork.”– Ellen DeGeneres
26. “I, also, decided to get rid of the need of approval. That is a strong addiction, the need of approval, isn’t it? That—I’m on the patch right now, actually. It releases small doses of approval until I no longer crave it. And, I’m going to rip it off!”– Ellen DeGeneres
27. “To me beauty is being comfortable in your own skin. It’s about knowing and accepting who you are.”– Ellen DeGeneres
28. “Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that.”– Ellen DeGeneres
29. “Don’t worry about what people say about you. Let the naysayers nay. They will eventually grow tired of naying.”– Ellen DeGeneres
30. “Whatever you define family as, family is just a part of belonging to something that takes care of you and nurtures you… and when you have lost that, and you want to get that back, it’s pretty easy to get emotional about it.”– Ellen DeGeneres
31. “I love kids. But that’s such a big commitment. And it seems long-term. It seems like a commitment that you have to stick with. And I just don’t know if I can – it’s too risky. Like, what if I don’t like the kid?”– Ellen Degeneres
32. “Its the same for every career and life decision. You just have to keep driving down the road. It’s going to bend and curve, and you’re going to speed up and slow down, but the road keeps going.”– Ellen DeGeneres
33. “First you have your baby, which in and of itself is a stunning feat. I won’t go into specifics, but ouch and no thank you.”– Ellen DeGeneres
34. “It’s not your fault, you’ve always had sensitive skin and there’s nothing wrong with being sensitive.”– Ellen DeGeneres
35.” If standing up for what I think is right makes me an activist. Then i’m an activist.”– Ellen DeGeneres
36. “But seriously, I think overall in the scheme of things winning an Emmy is not important. Let’s get our priorities straight. I think we all know what’s really important in life – winning an Oscar.”– Ellen DeGeneres
37. “I do like men and I had, you know, a guy in high school that I wanted to marry desperately. He’s the mayor of some small town in Texas. I could be the mayor’s wife right now.”– Ellen DeGeneres
38.” I never buy a house thinking that I’m going to sell it.”– Ellen DeGeneres
39. “Things will get easier, people’s minds will change and you should be alive to see it.”– Ellen DeGeneres
40. “Embrace who you are. Literally. Hug yourself. Accept who you are.”– Ellen DeGeneres
Related: Celebrate #PrideMonth with our Gay Pride Quotes
Video – Ellen DeGeneres Tribute to the Obamas
To commemorate President Obama’s last day in office, Ellen took a look back at some of her favorite moments with President Obama and the First Lady. This video definitely captures Ellen’s personality and interviewing style she is known for.
Summary
In conclusion, Ellen DeGeneres is a famous and successful American TV host that is known for her sense of humor and personality.
The above quotes about Ellen DeGeneres will motivate you to accept yourself for who you are so that you can achieve and live your dreams.
Image credit: “Ellen DeGeneres” by ronpaulrevolt2008 is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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