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RuPaul

RuPaul Quotes

Actor

RuPaul (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, singer, actor, and television personality, widely known as the "Queen of Drag." He gained mainstream fame with his 1993 hit single "Supermodel (You Better Work)" and has since become a cultural icon. Since 2009, he has hosted and produced "RuPaul's Drag Race," the Emmy Award-winning reality competition that has transformed drag culture worldwide. In 2019, RuPaul became the first drag queen to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A longtime LGBTQ+ rights advocate, he has influenced millions through his work in entertainment, music, and television.

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Famous RuPaul Quotes

“But in that time the RuPaul idea was born, and people outside of my world were inspired to talk about me and androgyny and drag in a way that was unprecedented. Not long after that, the questions came: Why you? Drag had been around forever. Why had I been able to crack the code after so many false starts and almosts?”

Book:The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir―The Transformational Power of Facing Yourself Fearlessly

Source: The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir―The Transformational Power of Facing Yourself Fearlessly

“Not long after that, the questions came: Why you? Drag had been around forever. Why had I been able to crack the code after so many false starts and almosts? But I knew they would never understand the delicate choreography I’d done to make it all work. I’d mastered the art of naughty-lite: two spoonfuls of Diana Ross, a pinch of Cher, a shake of Dolly Parton, all sealed with Walt Disney’s family-friendliness. Before, I had been blurry—confusing, a thing that only some people could understand. Finally, I had snapped into focus, just in time for the whole world to see. The eighties, with all its excess and opulence, had also been marred by darkness: the heaviness of crack cocaine, the AIDS epidemic, the crashes of S&Ls in the markets. There was a yearning for levity in the culture, the very same irreverence and sense of play that had animated me my whole life. A window opened. I stepped through it.”

Comedy Drag 80s 80s Music

Book:The House of Hidden Meanings

Source: The House of Hidden Meanings

“Our bodies are just temporary vessels for our souls, which will go on forever. You really are an extension of the power that created the whole universe, no matter what drags you have on.”

Soul Matter Whole Body Universe Forever Goes On No Matter What Explanation Temporary Drag Extensions Vessel

Author:RuPaul

“Give a drag queen a fish and you feed her for a day; show her how to be fishy and you feed her for a lifetime.”

Giving Shows Lifetime Fishes Queens Drag Drag Queen Fishy

Author:RuPaul

“There's not a long career span because you can't really make money doing drag for very long the way the system was set up for so many years.”

Way Years Long Careers Making Money Drag Long Careers

Author:RuPaul

“Drag queens always love a portmanteau of combining words and making something new, because this whole world is shilarious. And so you have to contain yourself with words. Shilarious is just something that is a really hooty kiki funny item.”

World Whole Whole World Queens Something New Drag Items Combining Drag Queen

Author:RuPaul

“Most women, when they ask me for beauty tips aren't really prepared for my answer, which is, there is no magic beauty wand that can transform you and make you beautiful. It takes practice and what you see on Rupaul's Drag Race is years and years of practice.”

Years Beautiful Asks Answers Race Practice Magic Prepared Ask Me Drag Wands

Author:RuPaul

“As gay people, we always think outside of the box. The irreverent is always important to a drag queen and anyone else who lives outside the box. And this is why drag's important: remember to not take life seriously. It's always important to see the laughter in the illusion that we pretend is real.”

People Thinking Important Real Remember Gay Laughter Illusion Boxes Queens Drag Gay People Outside The Box Irreverent Drag Queen

Author:RuPaul

“Drag threatens people because it exposes and mocks identity. Because most people believe that they are what it says they are on their driver's license. But the truth is we are all born naked, and the rest is drag.”

People Believe Born Identity Truth Is Naked Drivers Drag License

Author:RuPaul

“We are all illusionists and that's why we are attracted to drag queens. This whole world is an illusion. It's not real.”

World Real Whole Illusion Whole World Queens Drag Drag Queen Illusionists

Author:RuPaul

“Drag is like breaking the fourth wall in theater where we're letting you know straight up that this is an illusion. People are attracted to that because they know it's the truth of who they are also. No one is who they think they are. That's why people are attracted to drag.”

People Thinking Knows Wall Illusion Theater Fourth Drag Straight Up

Author:RuPaul

“We are born nude and everything after that is drag.”

Author:RuPaul

“We all came into this world naked. The rest is all drag.”

World This World Naked Drag

Author:RuPaul

“Look at me - a big old black man under all of this makeup, and if I can look beautiful, so can you.”

Ifs Men Looks I Can Bigs Beautiful Black Makeup Drag Look At Me

Author:RuPaul

“All sins are forgiven once you start making a lot of money.”

Funny Sin Money Drag Lots Of Money Forgiven

Author:RuPaul

“We're born naked, and the rest is drag.”

Born Naked Drag

Author:RuPaul

“Whatever you proclaim as your identity here in the material realm is also your drag. You are not your religion. You are not your skin color. You are not your gender, your politics, your career, or your marital status. You are none of the superficial things that this world deems important. The real you is the energy force that created the entire universe!”

World Important Real Universe Energy Force Careers Identity This World Color Materials Skins Gender Realms Drag Superficial Real You Skin Color Superficial Things

Author:RuPaul

“When you become the image of your own imagination, it's the most powerful thing you could ever do.”

Imagination Powerful Most Powerful Drag

Author:RuPaul

“Walking with your chest out and your head held high says you have earned the right to stomp and pummel this particular piece of real estate.”

Real Women Pieces Particular Walking Chests Drag Estates

Author:RuPaul

“True wealth is having a healthy mind, body, and spirit. True wealth is having the knowledge to maneuver and navigate the mental obstacles that inhibit your ability to soar.”

Mind Body Spirit Wealth Ability Healthy Obstacles Drag Soar Navigate Mind Body Healthy Mind True Wealth Mind Body And Spirit

Author:RuPaul

“If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?”

Ifs Women Beauty Hell Love You Inspire Being Yourself About Yourself Love Yourself Be You Drag Strong Women Just Being You Live For Yourself

Author:RuPaul

“It's a sort of piss-take on culture, because a drag queen is a clown - a parody of our society. It's a sarcastic spoof on culture, which allows us to laugh at ourselves - but in a way that is inclusive of everyone.”

Way Culture Laughing Queens Our Society Sarcastic Drag Clown Parody Drag Queen Spoof

Author:RuPaul

“Anybody who can step out of the house with a pair of heels and some lipstick on their lips is my hero.”

House Steps Hero Lips Pairs Drag Heels Lipstick My Hero

Author:RuPaul

“You're born naked, and the rest is drag! EVERYBODY is in drag. Whether you're a man or a woman. It just depends on how extreme you wanna go.”

Men Born Depends Extremes Naked Drag

Author:RuPaul

“Ego loves identity. Drag mocks identity. Ego hates drag”

Hate Identity Personality Ego Individuality Drag Mockery Drag Queen

Author:RuPaul

“What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn't change what I decide to do. I don't choose projects so people don't see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag is outside of their own belief system.”

People Thinking Problem Belief One Thing Projects Refuse Drag Think Of Me Belief Systems

Author:RuPaul

About the Author

Born: November 17, 1960
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 144

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Books & Sources

GuRuRelated source material

Lettin It All Hang Out: An AutobiographyRelated source material

The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir―The Transformational Power of Facing Yourself FearlesslyRelated source material

The House of Hidden MeaningsRelated source material

Workin' It!: RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of StyleRelated source material

Workin' It! Rupaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of StyleRelated source material

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