Moms Mabley Quotes

Love is like playing checkers. You have to know which man to move.

Advice to children crossing the street: damn the lights. Watch the cars. The lights ain't never killed nobody.

Ain't nothin' an ol' man can do but bring me a message from a young one.

Black women, white women- all of them. I'm colorblind. I don't know the difference. I only know you're a human being and you're my children.

Anytime you see me with my arms around an old man, I'm holding him for the police.

My husband was so ugly, he used to stand outside the doctor’s office and make people sick.

It's no disgrace to be old. But damn if it isn't inconvenient.

The teenagers aren't all bad. I love 'em if nobody else does. There ain't nothing wrong with young people. Jus' quit lyin' to 'em.

A woman is a woman until the day she dies, but a man's man only as long as he can

I don't want nothing old but some old money. Buy me some young ideas. That's what I'm gonna do with it.

Use those brains that God put in your head.

[On old age:] You wake up one morning and you got it.

If you don't want your children to know the truth about life don't send 'em to the theater to see Moms 'cause I'm gonna tell them THE TRUTH, hear?

You know Moms has been accused of liking young men, and I'm guilty.

Honey, that Totie Fields is one well-fed white woman. When that gal sits around the house, she sits around the house!

[On turning down an invitation to appear for four minutes on the Ed Sullivan Show:] Honey, it takes Moms four minutes just to get on the stage.