Top 25 Pearl Bailey Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “What the world really needs is more love and less paper work.”

— Pearl Bailey

Featured in: Silly Quotes, Funny Work Quotes, Funny Inspirational Quotes, Valentine's Day Quotes, Funny Quotes About Life

2. “Everybody wants to do something to help, but nobody wants to be the first.”

— Pearl Bailey

Featured in: Firsts Quotes

3. “People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.”

— Pearl Bailey

4. “Do not worry about whether or not the sun will rise. Be prepared to enjoy it.”

— Pearl Bailey

5. “Fate carries its own clock.”

— Pearl Bailey

6. “To talk to someone who does not listen is enough to tense the devil.”

— Pearl Bailey

7. “There’s a period of life when we swallow a knowledge of ourselves and it becomes either good or sour inside.”

— Pearl Bailey

8. “I hate labels, and I wear no labels. When a man has to put something around his neck and say I am, he isn’t.”

— Pearl Bailey

9. “You never find yourself until you face the truth.”

— Pearl Bailey

10. “The way we’re going to get to understanding is for each man to open his heart and open his mind and look in himself as he looks at his neighbor.”

— Pearl Bailey

11. “I tell stories to music and, thank God, in tune.”

— Pearl Bailey

Featured in: Quotes About Stories

12. “The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one’s self. All sin is easy after that.”

— Pearl Bailey

Featured in: Firsts Quotes

13. “The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love.”

— Pearl Bailey

14. “I see their souls, and I hold them in my hands, and because I love them they weigh nothing.”

— Pearl Bailey

15. “You cannot belong to anyone else, until you belong to yourself.”

— Pearl Bailey

16. “I don’t like to say that my kitchen is a religious place, but I would say that if I were a voodoo priestess, I would conduct my rituals there.”

— Pearl Bailey

17. “Sometimes I would almost rather have people take years of my life than take away a moment.”

— Pearl Bailey

18. “You must change in order to survive...”

— Pearl Bailey

19. “Sometimes you think the whole world is falling, and it’s only yourself that’s leaning.”

— Pearl Bailey

20. “How can you give a man a room in a house and not let him come through the front door?”

— Pearl Bailey

21. “Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible.”

— Pearl Bailey

22. “The deed of love is stronger than words.”

— Pearl Bailey

23. “You can taste a word.”

— Pearl Bailey

24. “I discuss humanity and not races.”

— Pearl Bailey

25. “The fact is that it takes more than ingredients and technique to cook a good meal. A good cook puts something of himself into the preparation – he cooks with enjoyment, anticipation, spontaneity, and he is willing to experiment.”

— Pearl Bailey

26. “There is a way to look at the past. Don’t hide from it. It will not catch you if you don’t repeat it.”

— Pearl Bailey

27. “When you’re young, the silliest notions seem the greatest achievements.”

— Pearl Bailey

28. “I never ask myself how I do what I do. After all, how does it rain?”

— Pearl Bailey