Margaret Cho: Use

“I urge you all today, especially today in these times of terrorism and chaos to love yourselves without reservation and to love each other without restraint. Unless you're into leather; then by all means, use restraints.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Tours and CDs, The Notorious C.H.O. Tour

Love , Time

“strange, there's so much religion in the world, but only enough to make us fight over who is right, not enough to make us love one another.”

Margaret Cho

Love , World , Religion , Fight

“Like when Jay Leno made jokes about Koreans eating dog, but the hidden messages, our invisibility, is more harmful to us than any of those fools on "board."”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, INVISIBILITY

Dogs , Fools

“We are no longer afraid to voice our opinions, to use our power, to pool our resources, to allow our differences to unite us instead of keeping us apart.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, ACTIVISM

“These new ways of looking at ourselves politically redefine what it means to be American. It took our until now, very passive identity and turned us all into revolutionaries.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, ACTIVISM

Way

“We don't have the luxury of our own privatized civil rights movements because the crimes - the ignorance, the rage, the hate against the who/what/why of some of us, is a much much larger foe. Together we are more than the sum of our parts. In union, in communion, in joining hands, we conquer all, because we have love on our side.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, RACISM AND CIVIL RIGHTS

Love , Hate , Rage , Parting

“I was on a plane, and the steward was coming down the aisle. "Asian chicken salad… Asian chicken salad… Asian chicken salad…" And he gets to me and he's like, "… chicken salad!" What does he think I'm gonna do? "Dis is not de salad of my people! In my homeland, dey use mandarin orange slices… and crispy wonton crunches!"”

Margaret Cho

From Her Tours and CDs, Revolution Tour

People , Thinking

“We have allowed alarmist and racist attitudes to take us hostage, and if these impulses are not kept in check they will behead us all.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, RACISM AND CIVIL RIGHTS

“Something traumatic happened to me when I was younger. I was with this old black woman, and she was very wise, very Alice Walker, The Color Purple…she looked at me and she says, "Baby…you know I used to be able to fly but I can't fly no more, baby. But baby, you…? You too fat to fly."”

Margaret Cho

From Her Tours and CDs, Drunk With Power CD

Color , Baby , Flying

“This land is your land, but this land isn't my land - that is what so many of us thought. This 2nd class citizenship has sunk in so deeply that we have barely an awareness of it.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, INVISIBILITY

“I don't know how to find our voice. It catches in my throat when I try to use it. If I do manage to get something out, its met with very vocal opposition from all kinds of surprising sources.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, INVISIBILITY

“There are still lynchings. And while we don't use ropes anymore, there are more efficient ways of doing it.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, RACISM AND CIVIL RIGHTS

Way

“I am not so much angry as trying to find my own voice in the world, to find enough courage to speak up in the first place, then to go forth and use it, which both are monumental tasks and require more confidence than you'd think.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, SPEAKING UP

World , Confidence , Courage , Thinking

“My mom used to give me messages like this: "Ummmmmmm… Scott called… IS HE THE GAY??!!" "Well, God, mom, I don't know if he's the gay… that's a lot of pressure on just one guy. He has to do the parade all by himself! 'I'm here! I'm queer!… I guess I'm the only one.'"”

Margaret Cho

From Her Tours and CDs, I'm The One That I Want Tour

God , Guy , Moms

“It is a good life, if I watch myself. Kind of like when I used to diet, but now instead of limiting calories, I will not allow negative self-talk. I cut out insults like I cut out carbs and it is hard as hell because I crave self-abuse like hot, fresh sourdough bread, but you know you have to be nice to you if you are going to live together.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Weblog

Life , Hell

“I get nervous when people say to me, "I just can't tell any of you Asians apart!" Um, why do you have to tell us apart? Are we gonna be separated for some reason? I can't tell us apart! I was not born with a chip in my neck that would automatically identify every Asiatic person that I would come across. "beebeebeebeebeep Filipino."”

Margaret Cho

From Her Tours and CDs, Revolution Tour

People , Personality

“Body dysmorphia has got to go. Its similar to a disease called "crazy eyes" not the way others look at you, but the way you see yourself. The insanity which we use as our vision….”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, HATING ONESELF

Disease , Way

“Ultimately a government cannot defeat its people, no matter how much power they assume or how corrupt they are. For us, there is only opportunity.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, ACTIVISM

People

“Playing it safe is not productive for anyone, because safety requires gays and lesbians to be invisible, and the inhumanity engendered by making people invisible is anything but safe, rather, it puts us all in danger. When we are banned from the places we should be welcomed, where we should not only be allowed but encouraged to speak, where should we go then?”

Margaret Cho

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, SPEAKING UP

People

“I love my gay male friends, but when I was a little girl, I always used to wish that I would be constantly surrounded by gorgeous guys, and I am, and I should have been more specific.”

Margaret Cho

From Her Tours and CDs, I'm The One That I Want Tour

Love , Guy , Girl