Paula Deen quotes: extra-crispy quotes from the food mogul.
“If you have a dream, follow it.”
“I am living proof that the American dream still exists. It is still alive and well. There is only one trick, you have to be willing to roll up your sleeves and work very, very hard.”
“Don’t ever give up. You can’t let discouragement get you down. You can always find negative people that will try to discourage you from your goals. You can’t be discouraged, and you can’t let the word ‘no’ stop you.”
“If you’ve got a good idea and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to pursue it, keep your head up and eyes open because you don’t know when opportunity will come knocking.”
“It’s all about going out there and doing research. It’s about doing something you’re passionate about, and don’t let anything stop you. If you’re passionate and willing to make sacrifices and work very hard, you don’t know what great things will happen next.”
“You never know who you will meet along life’s journey. You have to be open to risks, but calculated risks—open to winning.”
“I pay people very, very well—probably more than I have to. But that costs me less money in the long run because I’m not having to constantly train somebody.”
“Change doesn’t happen overnight. It starts with the desire, then one small step in the right direction.”
“There was one thing my daddy wouldn’t tolerate in any shape, form or fashion, and that was being unkind or rude to somebody. That was just very important to my folks. And as it turns out, that was a legacy that he left me that money can’t buy, is how to be able to treat people.”
“I believe that everyone should be treated equal. That’s the way I was raised and that’s the way I live my life.”
“I loved my own grandparents with all my heart. I learned important lessons from them about how to treat people, how to cook and how to work. They showered us kids with love and left the parenting to momma and daddy. That’s the beauty of being a grandparent—the hard work belongs to someone else. I guess I never really understood the depth of their love for me until I became a grandmother myself. It is unlike any other relationship.”
“There’s nothing better than being able to give your children wings so they can soar and fly in the direction they want to go in.”
“That clock is one of our devils in this society, because we live in a world of two-income families, where everybody’s working and it’s hard to make time for things that are important.”
“Love is like smiling, it never fades and is contagious.”
“When it’s said and done, the one thing I want to leave on this earth is hope. I have felt hopelessness, and it’s a terrible feeling. Hopelessness will destroy you. I want to bring hope to other people.”
“I was determined to share my positive approach.”
“You know, my back was against the wall and I had to do something.”
“Don’t ever apologize for crying.”
“God knows I have had tougher moments in the later years of my life. But it’s what builds character. That’s what makes you into the person that you are.”
“When you’ve made a commitment to put yourself out there in the public, there will be hurtful things said. I try to avoid those places where things have been generated by meanness and hate. In the end, I know who I am and what I am and I just remind myself of that.. then I eat a chocolate chip cookie and feel better.”
“God’s given me another gift and I’m going to do my best to shine in a new light.”
“I want to be a woman of substance.”
“It’s amazing how good getting up and moving makes you feel.”
“Growing up I had a very busy social life. It wasn’t until I was a sophomore in high school that I asked momma if I could come into the kitchen and have her teach me how to cook something.”
“When times were tough, I found comfort in the kitchen. I spent a lot of time bellied up to my stove. I had become a pretty good cook. At night, I would lie in bed and dream about how I could take care of my family financially. With just $200, I started a catering business (Bag Lady) out of my Savannah, Georgia home. My plan was simple: cook my Southern favorites.”
“After many years and countless fried chickens, I now have two popular restaurants, five best-selling books, two television shows and a magazine. I turned $200 into a $20 million dollar empire. How’d I do it? I worked like a damn dog.”
“When I first started my catering company, I stood over a hot stove 16 to 20 hours a day, but I never imagined this level of success. My main objective was much simpler. What I wanted for us was if we needed to go to the grocery store on Wednesday, we could do it and the check would not bounce. That was my idea of success.”
“I also believe that God’s generosity helped me realize my dreams. I made a commitment to work, God blessed it.”
“And before I became famous, I hid a painful secret for more than 20 years. In my book, Paula Deen: It Ain’t All About the Cookin’, I revealed that I once struggled with agoraphobia, the fear of being out in public. To me, cooking is therapeutic. You just kind of forget everything except what you’ve got going on in that pot. I just woke up one day and took my life back.”
“I’m so glad I’m not a dentist. How many times does someone say, ‘Oh, Doc, it felt so good when you were drilling my teeth?’ Never. But when you give someone a wonderful cookie, you put a little of yourself in, and you see someone’s face light up—that’s immediate approval.”
“Cooking has always brought me a happiness that I didn’t think was available. I just fire up the stove, and things start to fade away.”
“Having an audience is almost like plugging me into an electrical outlet. People feed me so much of their energy. We have a great time. It’s all about the fellowship.”
“I don’t want to spend my life not having good food going into my pie hole. That hole was made for pies.”
“Bein’ rich is having leftovers. Good leftovers make your tongue fly outta your mouth and smack your brains out.”
“Cooking is about memories and that is so important. We relate that to a time in our lives that is carefree and safe, when there wasn’t a bad world out there. Cooking connects you to those times. I think 9/11 played a big part in jogging memories about family times and kitchen times. Some of our safest times were in granny’s or momma’s kitchen… back when daddies and granddaddies were our heroes.”
“I is what I is, and I’m not changing.”
“I wake up every morning happy for where I am in life. It’s not all about the cooking, but the fact that I can contribute by using my influence to help people all over the country.”
“You know, I am so sick of turning on my television, and everyone on it is obsessed with living forever. Well, I have a news flash: ain’t none of us getting out of here alive.”
“Everyday you wake up on the right side of the dirt is a good one.”
“I am so blessed. I’ve been way over-blessed. I look forward to going to bed every night so I can wake up in the morning and see what blessing is going to come my way that day. Because you never, ever know what God’s got in store for you.”
“I’m so thankful. God has been so good and generous. I always remain true to my roots. God has been very good to me.”
“Don’t cry for me, honey. Don’t cry for me. God has blessed me unbelievably.”
“Mix a heaping helping of butter with the will to succeed, a cup of Southern charm and some fried green tomatoes. Add a spoonful of sass, and you’ve got my recipe for success!”
Related: Guy Fieri quotes.
