26 Maysoon Zayid Quotes for You to Enjoy

Maysoon Zayid

American Actress

Born: 1974

Comedy Me Parents People Think You

Related authors: Ali Wong Ariana Grande Bette Davis Carol Burnett Lily Tomlin Mae West Marilyn Monroe Teri Garr

With George Bush, I had absolutely no fear that I would ever be silenced. With Donald Trump, I think I could get dragged offstage and have people actually cheer it. I never thought that would happen in America. Maysoon Zayid

People Fear Thought No Fear Think Would Silenced Could Absolutely Never Had Cheer George George Bush Trump America Get Donald Donald Trump Happen Bush Ever Actually Dragged

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. Don't feel bad if you did not know that. I didn't, either, until someone recently slapped a picture of a green ribbon and a message wishing me a 'Happy CP Awareness Month' on my Facebook page. I always thought March was Women's History Month. Maysoon Zayid

Me History You Happy Facebook Women Thought Picture Awareness Month Bad Someone Feel Wishing Know Until Message Always Green Did Either Ribbon Cerebral Page March Slapped Recently

The Palestine I know is a place where Christians and Muslims are equal. My mother, a Muslim village girl, attended a Catholic girls' school in Ramallah, and my refugee husband spent the Second Intifada side by side with his Christian brothers from Bethlehem. Maysoon Zayid

School Mother Girl Husband Christian Side Spent Muslim Muslims Brothers Bethlehem Attended Know Equal Catholic His Refugee Where Place Village Palestine Second Christians

I was the girl who did everybody's homework, but I was also, like, student council president and yearbook editor and, like, all-around overachiever. Like, I'm disabled, but I can do anything. Maysoon Zayid

Girl Homework Everybody President All-Around Council Disabled Student Overachiever Like Also Editor Yearbook Did Anything Who

The people that I grew up with had no problem with my faith. They did, however, seem very concerned that I would starve to death during Ramadan. I would explain to them that I have enough fat to live off of for three whole months, so fasting from sunrise to sunset is a piece of cake. Maysoon Zayid

Death Faith Sunset People Problem Sunrise Cake Three Live Enough Starve Months Would Seem No Problem Had Piece Concerned However Off Up Very Did Grew Explain Them Whole Fasting Fat

Not wearing hijab has seriously, seriously hurt my career. Mass media wants to see a woman in a veil. But I think it helps me because it makes it easier for my audience to relate to me. I'm not the scary 'other' they keep seeing on 'Fox News.' Maysoon Zayid

News Me Woman Hurt Seriously Think Other Relate Easier See Wearing Seeing Scary Veil Mass Mass Media Because Makes Audience Wants Helps Keep Media Fox Career Fox News

My friend and I founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival to counter the negative images of Arabs in media. And we always made sure that the comedy came first. So we weren't a bunch of Arabs trying to be funny. We were a bunch of comedians who just happened to be of Arab heritage. Maysoon Zayid

Funny Comedy Negative Made First Heritage Arab Arabs My Friend Counter New Comedians Sure Always Came Were Friend Bunch Festival Trying York Just New York Happened Who Media Founded Images

I spent my summers in a war zone because my parents were afraid that if we didn't go back to Palestine every single summer, we'd grow up to be Madonna. Maysoon Zayid

War Parents Single Every Back Summer Summers Spent Madonna Because Go Were Up Afraid War Zone Grow Grow Up Palestine Zone

The most obvious thing I do is I don't wear a burqa, and I'm definitely not oppressed. Plus, I'm quite obviously an independent thinker, which means as soon as I walk on stage, I dispel a lot of those stereotypes. Maysoon Zayid

I am not naive, and I do realize that racism is alive and well in the United States of America. I am also fully aware that when segregation ended, we didn't all live happily ever after. No one can convince me, however, that life in America would be better if blacks and whites had stayed separate and unequal. Maysoon Zayid

Life Me Racism Better Live States Alive Would Would-Be Stayed Blacks Segregation Had No-One Naive Also Well Am However Unequal America Ended After Happily Realize Convince Separate Whites Fully United Aware Ever United States Ever After United States Of America

It is easy to go vegan in Palestine, which is where I quit eating food with a face. The vegetables and spices are one of a kind, and you don't even miss the meat. Maysoon Zayid

Food You Vegetables Spices Face Vegan Kind Easy Eating Miss Go Quit Where Which Meat Even Palestine

See, I'm totally fearless. I got my chops in the most, like, dangerous comedy atmosphere. If you can make it in New York, you can really do stand-up anywhere. Maysoon Zayid

You Dangerous Comedy See Atmosphere Totally Fearless New Like Most Make Got York New York Anywhere Really Chops

I'll go on '60 Minutes,' and whereas other parents would be like, 'You did a great job. I'm so proud of you,' my mother will be like, 'Your hair - it was not nice.' Maysoon Zayid

Great You Mother Will Job Parents Hair Nice Other Would Great Job Would-Be Minutes Like Proud Go Did Whereas Your

I'm a person who watches TV all the time - all the time; I love TV. And I really think that the media heavily influences how we as a society behave towards each other. And one of the things that I find to be lacking on television are positive images of diversity. Maysoon Zayid

Positive Love Time Diversity Think Society Other Television TV One Of The Things Find Towards How Person Behave Lacking Influences Really Who Each Media Things Images Watches

I'm very much inspired by things that anger me. If I see bigotry, stupidity, or injustice on the news, I'm inspired to find a way to make it into something comedic and relatable. Anger inspires me. Stupidity inspires me. My family inspires me. My accountant inspires me. Everything and anything, really. Maysoon Zayid

Disability in the Middle East is viewed through a different lens because you're in wartime countries where it's much more mainstream, so I was just never 'other'd. Maysoon Zayid

You East More Through Disability Never Mainstream Countries Because Just Middle Where Different Middle East Lens Much Viewed Wartime

I'm not here to impose Sharia law, and I'm not here to have a message about disability being inspirational - I'm here to make people laugh. But when I can layer things and make people not only laugh but question, make people not only laugh but be offended... I have to do that. Maysoon Zayid

Inspirational People Law Offended Laugh About Only Layer Disability Message Make Impose Question Being Things Here

From fear to bonding with the audience to getting more open - that's what standup is. It humanises you. Maysoon Zayid

You Fear More Open Audience Getting Standup Bonding

Today, I am a touring standup comic who cannot stand up. Within three minutes, I begin to wilt, lose my balance, and topple over. I can tap dance and run in heels, but I need to use a wheelchair to navigate airports. Maysoon Zayid

Today Balance Dance Three Lose Airport Topple Run Wilt Minutes Touring Over Within Comic Am Tap Up Begin Wheelchair Cannot Heels Stand Use Stand Up Who Navigate Standup Need

In the interest of full disclosure, let me state that I hate Hamas. They embody everything that I, as a human being, am fighting against: oppression, religious rule, and patriarchy. They empower Israel while dividing the Palestinians. Maysoon Zayid

Me Hate Oppression Human Being Fighting State Everything Rule Embody Religious Dividing Empower Disclosure Am Israel Hamas Human Being Patriarchy While Interest Against Full Palestinians

If you elect a religious party into power, you no longer have a democracy. Maysoon Zayid

Democracy You Power Party Religious Longer Elect

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