Top 200 Bill Cosby Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. ”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Success Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Failure Quotes

2. “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Success Quotes, Failure Quotes

3. “Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.”

— Bill Cosby

4. “If you want to be seen, stand up. If you want to be heard, speak up. If you want to be appreciated, shut up.”

— Bill Cosby

5. “The past is a ghost, the future a dream and all we ever have is now.”

— Bill Cosby

6. “People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what's bitter and move on.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Moving On Quotes, Forgiveness Quotes, Letting Go Quotes

7. “Is the glass half full, or half empty? It depends on whether you're pouring, or drinking.”

— Bill Cosby

8. “The secret of success is to be like a duck, Smooth and unruffled on top, But paddling furiously underneath.”

— Bill Cosby

9. “Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter.”

— Bill Cosby

10. “Don’t let your victories go to your head, or your failures go to your heart.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Victory Quotes

11. “You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it.”

— Bill Cosby

12. “Betrayal, abandonment, deceit and manipulation.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Betrayal Quotes

13. “You can’t be everything to everyone.”

— Bill Cosby

14. “Women don't want to hear what you think. Women want to hear what they think - in a deeper voice.”

— Bill Cosby

15. “Let us now set forth one of the fundamental truths about marriage: the wife is in charge.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Marriage Quotes

16. “Parents are not interested in justice, they're interested in peace and quiet.”

— Bill Cosby

17. “Every closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing.”

— Bill Cosby

18. “Those who criticize our generation forget who raised it.”

— Bill Cosby

19. “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”

— Bill Cosby

20. “The main goal of the future is to stop violence. The world is addicted to it.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Future Quotes

21. “A grandchild is God's reward for raising a child.”

— Bill Cosby

22. “Your parents put a curse on you – Someday your kids are going to act just like you.”

— Bill Cosby

23. “Sometimes you try to help people, and it backfires on you, and then they try to take advantage of you.”

— Bill Cosby

24. “Civilization had too many rules for me, so I did my best to rewrite them.”

— Bill Cosby

25. “When you graduate from college, they tell you to follow your dreams. Does anyone say you have to wake up first?”

— Bill Cosby

26. “A word to the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.”

— Bill Cosby

27. “No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal.”

— Bill Cosby

28. “How long can you tread water?”

— Bill Cosby

29. “If you can find humour in anything, you can survive it.”

— Bill Cosby

30. “Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home.”

— Bill Cosby

31. “Old is always fifteen years from now.”

— Bill Cosby

32. “My father walked to school 4 o’clock every morning with no shoes on, uphill, both ways, in 5 feet of snow and he was thankful.”

— Bill Cosby

33. “A child who is disciplined will be more obedient and also more organized as a student.”

— Bill Cosby

34. “People say “God will find a way.” God can’t find a way if you’re in the way.”

— Bill Cosby

35. “I can’t even talk the way these people talk. ‘Why you ain’t?’ ‘Where you is?’ Everybody knows it’s important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can’t be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth.”

— Bill Cosby

36. “Every success story has a parent who says, ‘over my dead body.’ Every success story has an old person who walks up to you and says, when you’re acting the fool, ‘you know I worry about you sometimes.’”

— Bill Cosby

37. “I have to follow my thoughts and mine for the gold. I have to dig it out.”

— Bill Cosby

38. “A sail boat that sails backwards can never see the sun rise.”

— Bill Cosby

39. “Immortality is a long shot, I admit. But somebody has to be first.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Firsts Quotes

40. “Take your bottom lip and pull it over your head.”

— Bill Cosby

41. “Sex education may be a good idea in the schools, but I don’t believe the kids should be given homework.”

— Bill Cosby

42. “The first-born in every family is always dreaming for an imaginary older brother or sister who will look out for them.”

— Bill Cosby

43. “Grandparents are God’s gifts to children.”

— Bill Cosby

44. “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it’s very hard for people to stop you.”

— Bill Cosby

45. “Fatherhood is helping your children learn English as a foreign language.”

— Bill Cosby

46. “In your 50s, time becomes precious and must not be wasted. Every minute is an excellent opportunity for a good nap. Happy 50th birthday!”

— Bill Cosby

47. “If you took your child to the dentist and check for cavities, the child likely won’t get them. If you take them just for emergency, that’s all they’re gonna get.”

— Bill Cosby

48. “Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.”

— Bill Cosby

Featured in: Father's Day Quotes

49. “A pelican that is wet walks with a gated limp, but a dry fish swims alone.”

— Bill Cosby

50. “Now, this is the fun part about getting stoned. They get stoned, then they become paranoid. Now, when they started out, they said, “Let’s get high and have fun.” So they’re high; now they’re paranoid. “Am I falling out of this chair?””

— Bill Cosby