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Trevor Noah Quotes

Comedian

Trevor Noah is a South African-born comedian, writer, and television host. He is known for his unique sense of humor and insightful commentary on social issues. Born on February 20, 1984, Noah grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. He began his career performing in comedy clubs in Johannesburg and has since gained recognition in the television and radio industry.

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All People Knows Thinking World Mother Mom Trump South Africa America Ifs

Famous Trevor Noah Quotes

“I think it's despicable. I also think it's frightening that we seem to live through history over and over again. And I don't know if I'm the only one. I feel like, when you read through history books, you always judge those people in that time.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Feels Book Seems Judging Frightening Despicable History Books

Author:Trevor Noah

“I always say to people, you know - someone goes, oh, well, what are you going to do about terrorist attacks and Muslims? We got to do something. And I go, don't let those in power trick you out of your freedoms by using your fear.”

People Knows Wells Terrorist Tricks Terrorist Attacks Your Freedom Oh Well

Author:Trevor Noah

“People were encouraged to snitch. [South Africa] was a police state, so there were police everywhere. There were undercover police. There were uniformed police. The state was being surveilled the entire time.”

People States Police South South Africa Police State Undercover Snitch

Author:Trevor Noah

“A lot of black people worked with the police as snitches. We used to call them bimpees where I grew up. And, you know, they were afforded special privileges. They may have been paid by the police. But you never knew who was informing on you. We lived either next door to or - two doors away from us was a known informant in Soweto.”

People Knows May Has Beens Two Used Next Black Known Doors Special Grew Grew Up Paid Police Privilege Black People Informing Informants Snitch

Author:Trevor Noah

“It's the reason the United States fell into the Patriot Act - because they were reacting.”

States Reason United United States Patriot Reacting Patriot Act

Author:Trevor Noah

“We all do that as human beings, you know? It's what my mom would call shopping on an empty stomach. You're going to buy food that you shouldn't because, at the time, you are reacting to your hunger.”

Knows Humans Human Beings Mom Empty Hunger My Mom Stomach Shopping Reacting Empty Stomach

Author:Trevor Noah

“People should always be wary of that because the precedent is set. And it's so much easier to build on a foundation than it is something that doesn't exist. So you see it as something that's happening to people that are not you. And then it expands, and it expands further. And then, one day, you're on a registry.”

People Should Easier One Day Happenings Foundation Precedent

Author:Trevor Noah

“I was really lucky in that my mom and dad never got caught in the act, so to speak. So my mom was caught fraternizing with my dad. My mom was caught, you know, in the building that my father lived in. My mom was caught in a white neighborhood past curfew without the right permits. My mother was caught in transition. And that was key because had she been caught in the act, then, as the law says, she could've spent anywhere up to four years in prison.”

Knows Years Past Law Mother Father Speak White Four Building Keys Mom Dad Lucky Prison My Dad Caught My Mom Neighborhood Transition Permit Four Years Mom And Dad Curfew Caught In The Act

Author:Trevor Noah

“My mom would spend a week in jail. She would spend a day in jail here - a week again, a week and a half, two weeks. My grandmother tells me stories of how because I would be at the house, I wouldn't notice that my mom was gone because she would be at work sometimes. So it was just like time when my mom would be gone and my grandma would tell me she'll be back. And nobody knew where anybody was.”

Two Sometimes Stories Would Be House Half Gone Week Mom My Mom Grandmother Jail My Grandmother Two Weeks Grandma My Grandma

Author:Trevor Noah

“The police didn't afford you a phone call. You just disappeared for a while. And what was scary was we lived in a state where some people disappeared forever.”

People States Forever Police Phones Scary Phone Calls

Author:Trevor Noah

“If the police believed that they were planning any form of resistance against the state, then you were just gone. Nobody knew where you were, and you just hoped to see that family member again.”

Ifs States Form Gone Members Police Planning Resistance Family Members

Author:Trevor Noah

“I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can convince people that the problem is not coming from the top but is, rather, being created by the people who are being oppressed.”

People Humans Self Problem Brain Strange Hatred Convince Oppressed Human Brain Self Hatred

Author:Trevor Noah

“What the apartheid system was really good at doing was convincing groups to hate one another.”

Hate Groups Convincing Apartheid

Author:Trevor Noah

“So what you do [under apartheid system] is you convince black people that the reason they are being oppressed is because there are some within their community who just can't behave. And if only they could behave, then everyone else would have more freedoms and liberties, which, of course, is not true.”

People Ifs Reason Courses Black Community Liberty Behave Convince Black People Oppressed Freedom And Liberty Apartheid

Author:Trevor Noah

“My mother converted, my mom converted to Judaism.”

Mother Mom My Mom Judaism

Author:Trevor Noah

“I think when you look at religion, you look at where Christianity came from. You know, my mom delved deeper into that. And she felt a deep connection.”

Thinking Knows Looks Felt Christianity Mom Connections Deeper My Mom Deep Connections

Author:Trevor Noah

“[My mother] wanted to go as deep as possible into the world of religion. And that took her into Judaism.”

World Wanted Mother Judaism

Author:Trevor Noah

“I lived my life as a - as a part-white, part-black but then sometimes-Jewish kid.”

Sometimes Kids Black White

Author:Trevor Noah

“I just had - we had instances - like, for instance, when I turned 13, she threw me a bar mitzvah. But nobody came.But nobody came because nobody knew what the hell that was. I only had black friends. No one knows what the hell you're doing.”

Knows Black Hell Bars Instance Bar Mitzvah Mitzvah

Author:Trevor Noah

“[I had Bar mitzvah ]it was just me and my mom. And she's celebrating. And she's reading things to me in Hebrew. I don't know what's going on. And she's telling me that now I'm a man. And I'm like, does that mean I have no chores? And she's like, no, you still have chores, but you're a man. I didn't understand most of it.”

Knows Men Mean Doe Stills Reading Mom My Mom Bars Celebrate Hebrew Chores Bar Mitzvah Mitzvah

Author:Trevor Noah

“I still live today with my mom sending me, you know, Hebrew Scriptures or phrases or celebrating.”

Knows Stills Today Mom My Mom Scripture Celebrate Phrases Live For Today Hebrew

Author:Trevor Noah

“[My mother ] will write me an email, and it'll be Shanah Tovah. And the next day it'll be something else, Baruch Hashem Adonai. And I - I'm lost half of the time, but that was the world that I grew up in.”

World Writing Mother Next Lost Half Grew Grew Up Next Day Email

Author:Trevor Noah

“My mother's always looking for answers. She's always searching for new information. I think she has a thirst for hunger that very few possess innately.”

Thinking Mother Answers Information Hunger Thirst New Information

Author:Trevor Noah

“My mother never stagnated in a place where she said, I have it all.”

Said Mother

Author:Trevor Noah

“[ My mother] went, OK, I've read the Bible. I've read the Bible again. I'm reading the Bible again. OK, let me - where does this Bible come from? What does this Old Testament speak - who are the Israelites? Who - what is Judaism? And then she went, and I'm going to study that. And, you know, she wanted to almost get to the core.”

Knows Doe Wanted Mother Reading Speak Study Let Me Core Testament Judaism Old Testament Reading The Bible

Author:Trevor Noah

“Whatever it was, my mom said, I'm going to seek out more. And so I was constantly confused, which is sometimes a little bit, you know, disorienting. But I feel like it leads to a way more colorful life.”

Knows Way Feels Littles Said Sometimes Bits Mom Little Bit My Mom Confused Colorful Colorful Life

Author:Trevor Noah

“When I wrote the book, I thought that I was the hero of my story. And in writing it, I came to realize over time that my mom was the hero. And I was, you know - I was just her punk-ass sidekick.”

Knows Writing Book Stories Realizing Mom Hero My Mom Ass Punk Sidekicks

Author:Trevor Noah

“I was lucky to come along for the ride. [My mother] really is an amazing woman. And the world we lived in in South Africa at the time was a very matriarchal society because so many black men had been removed from the home.”

Men World Home Mother Black Lucky South South Africa Along For The Ride Amazing Woman

Author:Trevor Noah

“Families were living separately from the fathers. And so although, according to African culture, men were the head of the household, the truth is women were the ones who were raising everybody, including men. And growing up with my mother, that was something I really learned to appreciate.”

Men Mother Culture Father Growing Up Growing Truth Is Appreciate Including Household African Culture

Author:Trevor Noah

“I speak English, obviously, Afrikaans, which is a derivative of Dutch that we have in South Africa. And then I speak African languages. So I speak Zulu. I speak Xhosa. I speak Tswana. And I speak Tsonga. And like - so those are my languages of the core. And then I don't claim German, but I can have a conversation in it. So I'm trying to make that officially my seventh language. And then, hopefully, I can learn Spanish.”

Trying I Can Speak Language Conversation Claims South Core Hopefully South Africa Dutch Derivatives Speak English

Author:Trevor Noah

“Living with my mom, I saw how she used language to cross boundaries, handle situations, navigate the world.”

World Used Language Situation Saws Mom Crosses My Mom Boundaries Handle Navigate

Author:Trevor Noah

“I learned to use language like my mother did. I would simulcast, give you the program in your own tongue.”

Giving Use Mother Language Program Tongue

Author:Trevor Noah

“I'd get suspicious looks from people just walking down the streets. Where are you from? They'd ask. I'd reply in whatever language they'd addressed me in using the same accent that they used. There would be a brief moment of confusion, and then the suspicious look would disappear.”

People Looks Moments Would Be Used Asks Language Streets Walking Disappear Confusion Accents Suspicious Brief Moments

Author:Trevor Noah

“[Languages] became a tool that served me my whole life.”

Whole Language Tools Whole Life

Author:Trevor Noah

“One day as a young man, I was walking down the streets. And a group of Zulu guys was walking behind me closing in on me. And I could hear them talking to one another about how they were going to mug me. (Speaking Zulu). Let's get this white guy. You go to his left, and I'll come up behind him. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't run.So I just spun around real quick and said (speaking Zulu). Yo, guys, why don't we just mug someone together? I'm ready.”

Knows Men Said Real Running Together Young Guy Left White Behinds Talking Groups Streets Ready Walking One Day Come Up Young Man Closing Spun White Guys Mug

Author:Trevor Noah

“If you spoke to me in Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu. If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn't look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you.”

Ifs Looks Like You Spokes

Author:Trevor Noah

“I became a chameleon. My color didn't change. But I could change your perception of my color.”

Color Perception Chameleon

Author:Trevor Noah

“Smaller incidents in my life made me realize that language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.”

People Made Language Realizing Color Who You Are Incidents

Author:Trevor Noah

“I think it was something I inherited from my mother, who learned to do it. You know, I, like a baby duckling, was merely mimicking the survival traits that my mother possessed. And I came to learn very quickly that language was a powerful, powerful tool.”

Thinking Knows Mother Language Powerful Baby Survival Tools Traits Possessed Mimicking Ducklings

Author:Trevor Noah

“Language and accents govern so much of how people think about other people.”

People Thinking Language Accents

Author:Trevor Noah

“Even now in America, you know, when people say they hate immigrants, they're not referring to a Canadian immigrant. You know, they're not referring to somebody who has an accent who's slightly different to theirs.”

People Knows Different America Hate Immigrants Accents Referring

Author:Trevor Noah

“When you hear somebody speaking in an accent, it's almost like they're invading your language while they're speaking to you because if you hear someone speak another language, you almost don't care. But when they speak your language with an accent, it feels like an invasion of something that belongs to you. And, immediately, we change.”

Ifs Feels Care Speak Language Don't Care Accents Invasion Invading

Author:Trevor Noah

“When I first came to the U.S. - because I do accents and I've traveled the world. I have friends of almost every single ethnicity, and I would mimic them. And when I came to the U.S., I remember one day we're at "The Daily Show." And I mimicked my Chinese friend. And the guys at the show were like, oh, hey, don't ever do that again. That's really racist.”

World Firsts Shows Remember Guy One Day Hey Chinese Racist Accents Traveled Ethnicity Daily Show

Author:Trevor Noah

“They said [on a day show], oh, you can't do a Chinese accent. That's - and I said, I'm not doing a Chinese accent. I'm doing my friend's accent. And they said, yeah, you can't do that. And I said, OK, but can I do a Russian accent? And they said, yeah, yeah, of course, you can do that. I said, and a British accent? They said, yeah, go ahead. And I couldn't understand.”

Said Shows Courses Can Do My Friends Yeah British Chinese Accents They Said

Author:Trevor Noah

“I came to realize,people who had Chinese accents will continue to have Chinese accents in America are treated as being stupid or not as intelligent as an English speaker who is fluent with an American accent - I came to realize why. But it's always fascinated me how quickly you can change where you stand with another human being just based on how you speak.”

People Humans America Speak Realizing Human Beings Stupid Intelligent Treated Chinese Fascinated Speakers Accents Fluent Where You Stand Being Stupid

Author:Trevor Noah

“I knew of like - I remember, for most of my life, I grew up, and "Knight Rider" was, you know - David Hasselhoff was a Dutch character in my world.”

Knows World Character Remember Grew Grew Up Knights Riders Dutch

Author:Trevor Noah

“If you look at this election, I feel like Donald Trump was speaking a different language to Hillary Clinton.”

Ifs Feels Looks Different Language Trump Election Clinton Different Languages

Author:Trevor Noah

“I hate using this term [miracle]. I'm a man of science. I'm a doctor. I don't use this word. But he said, it's a miracle your mom's alive.”

Men Said Use Hate Term Alive Mom Doctors Miracle I Hate Your Mom

Author:Trevor Noah

“I've come to learn as an adult that love is a hell of a drug. It's one of the most dangerous things that human beings can have. It's also one of the most beautiful things that human beings can possess because love, on one hand, gives you the ability to care for a human being sometimes more than you would care for yourself. Love, unfortunately, sometimes gives you the ability to forgive somebody and blind yourself to the truth.”

Giving Humans Sometimes Hands Care Beautiful Human Beings Ability Love Is Hell Dangerous Self Love Drug Adults Blind Forgiving Beautiful Things Dangerous Things Care For You

Author:Trevor Noah

“I lived in a world where I didn't share the love for my stepfather that my mother shared for him. She married him.”

World Mother Share Married Stepfathers

Author:Trevor Noah

About the Author

Born: February 20, 1984
Known for: Comedian
Quotes: 174

Books & Sources

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African ChildhoodRelated source material

Born A Crime Stories from a South African Childhood / Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race / Natives Race and Class in the Ruins of EmpireRelated source material

Into the Uncut GrassRelated source material

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