Ellen DeGeneres quotes

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“So many people prefer to live in drama because it's comfortable. It's like someone staying in a bad marriage or relationship - it's actually easier to stay because they know what to expect every day, versus leaving and not knowing what to expect.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“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

“I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“The world is full of a lot of fear and a lot of negativity, and a lot of judgment. I just think people need to start shifting into joy and happiness. As corny as it sounds, we need to make a shift.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“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

“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

“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

“I'm not an activist; I don't look for controversy. I'm not a political person, but I'm a person with compassion. I care passionately about equal rights. I care about human rights. I care about animal rights.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“People always ask me, 'Were you funny as a child?' Well, no, I was an accountant.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I was raised around heterosexuals, as all heterosexuals are, that's where us gay people come from... you heterosexuals.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I work really hard at trying to see the big picture and not getting stuck in ego. I believe we're all put on this planet for a purpose, and we all have a different purpose... When you connect with that love and that compassion, that's when everything unfolds.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I am saddened by how people treat one another and how we are so shut off from one another and how we judge one another, when the truth is, we are all one connected thing. We are all from the same exact molecules.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I get those fleeting, beautiful moments of inner peace and stillness - and then the other 23 hours and 45 minutes of the day, I'm a human trying to make it through in this world.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“Just go up to somebody on the street and say 'You're it!' and then run away.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I think they should have a Barbie with a buzz cut.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“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

“I learned compassion from being discriminated against. Everything bad that's ever happened to me has taught me compassion.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I was raised in an atmosphere of 'everything's fine.' But as I got older, I was like, 'Well no, everything's not fine. There is stuff that's sad.' I am a really sensitive person. I think I am too sensitive sometimes.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“Sometimes you can't see yourself clearly until you see yourself through the eyes of others.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“Nothing says holidays, like a cheese log.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“Faith is part of who I am, yes. I was raised Christian Scientist. The most important thing I saw every single week on the wall at Sunday school was the Golden Rule.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“Designing is my hobby. If I didn't do what I do for a living - at some point when I don't do this for a living - I'll probably just do design work. I love finding really special pieces of furniture.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I don't pay attention to the number of birthdays. It's weird when I say I'm 53. It just is crazy that I'm 53. I think I'm very immature. I feel like a kid. That's why my back goes out all the time, because I completely forget I can't do certain things anymore - like doing the plank for 10 minutes.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“I had everything I'd hoped for, but I wasn't being myself. So I decided to be honest about who I was. It was strange: The people who loved me for being funny suddenly didn't like me for being... me.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“If you want to get rid of stuff, you can always do a good spring-cleaning. Or you can do what I do. Move.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

“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

“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

“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. And that's what I know for sure... I think.”

— Ellen DeGeneres