Welcome to the world of Rick Harrison, a man whose wit, wisdom, and keen eye for a deal have made him a household name. As the co-owner of the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, Rick Harrison has become an icon of the pawnbroking industry, thanks in no small part to the success of the hit reality TV show Pawn Stars. With his signature catchphrase, I’m Rick Harrison, and this is my pawn shop, Rick has captivated audiences worldwide with his shrewd business sense and colorful personality.
Throughout his years in the pawn business, Rick Harrison has amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he readily shares through his memorable quotes and anecdotes. Whether he’s negotiating a deal, appraising a rare item, or offering sage advice to his fellow pawnbrokers, Rick’s words are always insightful, entertaining, and often hilarious. From humorous quips to profound insights into the art of the deal, Rick’s quotes offer a glimpse into the mind of a master businessman and a true American character. Below, you’ll find a collection of Rick Harrison quotes that showcase his unique perspective on life, business, and the world of pawnbroking.
Being healthy is part of the happiness of life. Rick Harrison
I’m a nerdy guy who likes to read a lot. Rick Harrison
I discovered at age 13 that if a spoon had ‘Sterling’ on the back, it was worth money. I’d run around a swap meet and find 20 in a day, make 75 to 100 bucks by finding silver spoons. Rick Harrison
When you come across something, and its quality is just outrageous, that’s probably something of value. It’s been that way for hundreds and hundreds of years – the really, really expensive stuff is also really, really high quality. Rick Harrison
My dad had always bought and sold gold and other stuff. In ’81, he went broke because of real estate, so he moved us to Vegas and opened a small second-hand store. We always wanted a pawn license because there’s a lot more money in that. Rick Harrison
I read a book every night. I really am that nerd, so when I get to go to the Smithsonian and get to go in the back rooms and play with stuff, things like that, for a guy like me, that’s amazing. Rick Harrison
I was a really sick kid. I developed epilepsy when I was eight years old, and I would have violent seizures, and I would – literally, I couldn’t get out of bed. Rick Harrison
There’s just no way I could deal with politics. Rick Harrison
I had this when I was 17 years old – a 1969 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with no backseat. I paid 150 bucks for it, I think, rode it for a good six months, and put four or five quarts of oil a week in it. Rick Harrison
Making money is my third or fourth most favorite thing in the world. Rick Harrison
I meet celebrities all the time, but I have no idea who they are because I don’t watch television. Rick Harrison
Once, an unkempt, elderly woman came into the pawn shop. She appeared homeless, and she insisted on seeing every piece of expensive jewelry in the store. Just when I was feeling impatient, the woman pointed at the most expensive piece of jewelry and said, ‘I’ll take that one.’ Then she proceeded to pull $4,000 out of her sock to pay for it. Rick Harrison
That’s the beautiful thing about my show… It’s truly different every week. We get to pick and choose. Every morning, the girl from production comes to me with 100 different items, and I go, ‘Fake, fake, fake, fake… that’s cool.’ Rick Harrison
I do realize that television shows end. Rick Harrison
There’s a million things wrong with government that need to get fixed, but none of its ever going to get fixed unless we start educating our children better. Rick Harrison
Most people don’t realize the amount of tax forms the small business guy has to go through. Rick Harrison
The part I hate is when we go out to eat. My youngest son, who’s 11, doesn’t like to eat in more fancy restaurants, so we often go out to places like Red Robin and such. Well, as you can imagine, in that kind of place I probably have to jump up about 10 times during a meal to take a picture with somebody or sign an autograph. Rick Harrison
If you make it difficult to do business, there’s not going to be any business. Rick Harrison
The Obama administration made it illegal for me to loan any money to anyone in the military. I have one compliance guy just for a pawn shop. It’s everything from Homeland Security, FBI, the local police department, IRS – all these regulations I have to keep an eye on constantly, and it’s just overwhelming for a small business. Rick Harrison
I probably have 15 to 20 Dalis in the store. The secret to buying Dali – never buy one made after 1970. Rick Harrison
Pawn shops have been around for thousands of years – they were the number one form of consumer credit up until the 1950s, but we were vilified by Hollywood. We were easy people to vilify. Rick Harrison
It’s like a golden rule in the pawn business: never cash a government check. Rick Harrison
My father was an amazing guy. Twenty years in the Navy, great father. Rick Harrison
I believe that capitalism is the one thing in this world that’s brought people out of poverty. Rick Harrison
The weird thing about the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is that people come on vacation, and they bring stuff here to sell. They come here to see what we’ll give them for it. Mostly, it’s people from out of town. Rick Harrison
It’s the weird stuff that makes great television. Rick Harrison
I compete with the ‘Welcome To Las Vegas’ sign for the number one non-gaming tourist attraction in Las Vegas. I get more visitors than the Hoover Dam. Rick Harrison
I’ve worked with and talked to poor people my entire life, being in the pawn shop business. Rick Harrison
People come from all over the world to be on the show, and it still works because of all the interesting items coming in. Rick Harrison
Businesses that don’t evolve are businesses that die. Rick Harrison
When you endorse a Republican, everyone sort of frowns on you. I don’t know why, but hey. Rick Harrison
I’m not that cool; I’m just a bookworm. Rick Harrison
You have some cities that are saying that if you have a man who feels like he’s a woman, he can use the women’s restroom. I guarantee you that will be taken advantage of by some very bad men who want to go into a bathroom where there’s young ladies. That will happen if you pass a law like that. Rick Harrison
My dad was in the Navy; he was in Vietnam. My mom was trying to sell real estate on the side. We didn’t have a lot of money. Rick Harrison
I’m a dad with six kids, and I’m trying to teach each of them a little bit of morality. Rick Harrison
I asked for a horse for Christmas, and I got one! It’s an adult horse. I didn’t want a 5-year-old, which is a teenager for horses. It has a beautiful gait. It’s the Cadillac of horses. Rick Harrison
It amazes me. I’m just a fat, middle-aged, bald guy, but people still want to meet me. Rick Harrison
I can make a bourbon and Coke, those types of drinks… If the ingredients are named in the drink, I can make it. Rick Harrison
The number one thing in this world that has brought people out of poverty is the ease of doing business. And it’s getting harder and harder and harder. I mean, you basically have the Democrats out there saying I should pay more and more taxes on the profits I make. Rick Harrison
It costs you just as much to ask a doctor 50 questions as it does to ask him one question. So go see your doctor with questions written down… And if he doesn’t want to answer your 50 questions, go find yourself another doctor! Rick Harrison
My wife got all freaked out when we started doing the reality show because she said she saw all these reality shows, and everyone was getting divorced. Rick Harrison
Meeting Ronnie Montrose – that was pretty cool. Rick Harrison
I tell everyone that works for me not to look down on people. If you’re nice to people and take a minute to talk with them, it’s good for business whether or not they buy anything. Just because they don’t look like they have money doesn’t mean they’re poor. Rick Harrison
When you’re the boss, you have no one else to turn to. Rick Harrison
The people who pawn stuff never want to be on the show. And the reason behind that, I find out, is when people are pawning something, it’s – they’re getting a loan. They have to admit they’re broke. For some reason or the other, something has happened, or they’re financially irresponsible. Rick Harrison
In the ’90s, I went on eBay to buy some paddle tires for my four-wheeler ATV and couldn’t find any. When I did find a manufacturer that sold them, I bought 20,000 and had no problem reselling them. So the next time you get mad when you can’t find an item, realize there’s a market waiting to be explored. Rick Harrison
When the premiere of the show came out, we threw a big party, and, like, five minutes into the party, me and Corey walked out of the party and said… ‘No one’s ever gonna watch this.’ Rick Harrison
Most people don’t realize how regulated the pawn industry is, especially where I’m at in Nevada. Rick Harrison
I am just a normal guy, and suddenly I am really, really famous. It’s definitely got its perks; I never have to wait in line at a restaurant. Rick Harrison
For years, I pitched a reality show because I thought it would be good for business. Rick Harrison
We talk nonstop about what needs to be changed, and everyone has excuses for why the changes can’t happen. I believe we must change our educational system first to get the changes moving forward. I’m happy to be a voice and get in front of an audience who can help by making education a priority. Rick Harrison
If I brought another car home, there would be problems. I have a lot of cars as it is. I’m a car addict. Rick Harrison
There are a lot of weird things you might find in your basement or your attic that may have a lot of value. Rick Harrison
Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we only had one TV… and it wasn’t in your room… so when I was 8 years old, I began developing a passion for reading history, and it’s never stopped. Rick Harrison
There’s only so much stuff you can buy. I have to retail the stuff. Stuff that’s really really weird – it’s cool, but who are you going to sell it to? I do collect some stuff. In the end, I have to run a business. Rick Harrison
Governments have a tendency to screw up currencies. Rick Harrison
If the price is right, I will sell anything. Rick Harrison
Some politicians are in so long they completely lose touch with reality. Rick Harrison
Five or 10 years from now, people are going to be sitting around going, ‘Wasn’t there a show about four fat guys in a pawn shop?’ And I am sitting on this really nice piece of property on Las Vegas Boulevard. Why not? Rick Harrison
What’s normal life for the majority people of America, the liberal press thinks is like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ We don’t live in that little, weird, bizarre vacuum of San Francisco. Rick Harrison
Never fall in love with something when you’re negotiating a price. Never decide you’re going to buy something because you can’t live without it. Negotiating to buy an item shouldn’t be an emotional process. Rick Harrison
I’m a Trump guy. Rick Harrison
We don’t teach kids how to think anymore. We’re getting rid of the classics – high school is all about self-esteem. Rick Harrison
I only sleep about four or five hours a night. I read all night long. Rick Harrison
If the economy is bad, I might be bringing a lot of things in, but it’s difficult to sell, and the opposite when the economy is good. Rick Harrison
I want to make coin collecting cool again. Rick Harrison
I was a businessman for a long time before I was a celebrity. Rick Harrison
‘Game of Thrones’ really is an amazing series. Political intrigue, and then they throw in a little magic. I mean, it’s got a dragon in it. Rick Harrison
It’s the only pawnshop I know that’s got real Picassos hanging on the wall. I have Salvador Dalis on the wall. I have LeRoy Neimans. Rick Harrison
I hate to say this about television, since I have a television show, but it’s just mind-numbing to me. Rick Harrison
You have to have what your customers need because if you don’t have what your customers need, you’re not going to have customers. Rick Harrison
Trust me: I know a good investment when I see one. Rick Harrison
My older brother used to punch me all the time because I was a nerd. Rick Harrison
I’m just a normal guy and blue-collar historian, and people keep tuning in. Rick Harrison
Eventually, we have to make a good business environment in this country. Rick Harrison
If you go to most pawn shops in Las Vegas, they will tell you exactly what they will pay for, say, an iPod. But if you show up with an 1833 ormolu clock, it won’t pop up in their computer. They are going to tell you to go to Gold & Silver Pawn, because we buy weird things. Rick Harrison
The more money you make, the more times people sue you. Rick Harrison
Las Vegas is a crazy, crazy town at times, so there’s a lot of high-end things I get. Rick Harrison
I read science books, chemistry books, history books. I read that stuff for fun. Rick Harrison
There’s a reason why, when Reagan became president, he started getting rid of regulations, and we had a booming economy. Rick Harrison
The best part of my business is working with my family, and the worst part of my business is working with my family. Rick Harrison
I got the Pawnbroker of the Year award. They said I did more for the pawn business in one year than their media team, in 30 years, has been able to do. Rick Harrison
I realized that I needed to start taking better care of myself. Rick Harrison
In my store, I don’t do anything political. There are no signs up, and I’m not pushing anyone. Rick Harrison
Most of those who pawn things and want to borrow money don’t want to be on television. That part of my business you don’t see, and I do five or 10 times as much. Rick Harrison
I’m a really spastic guy. I can’t sit still. Rick Harrison
I have people coming to me with endorsements all the time. I’ve turned down endorsements well over $1 million because I didn’t like the company. Rick Harrison
You can have a soda every once in awhile, but don’t drink a gallon of it a day. Rick Harrison
I want my kids, my grandkids to have a great life. Rick Harrison
I tell people, ‘I’m the only business in the world where I don’t pick my merchandise.’ Rick Harrison
I can’t work 12 hours a day, every day for too long before it burns out. Rick Harrison
Everyone likes to learn history. They just don’t like to hear it from a professor looking at notes. They like to hear it like it’s from their uncle, and that’s how I explain history. Rick Harrison
The show impacted our lives immediately. It is crazy. I can’t watch the show. I get weirded out. Rick Harrison
Most people want a lot more from us than stuff is worth because they think we’re extremely wealthy or something. Rick Harrison
If life is tough, at least you got that thing you can pawn. Rick Harrison
Socialism doesn’t work. A big government doesn’t work. Rick Harrison
I’m one of those guys who believes in next to zero government. They just screw everything up. Rick Harrison
There’s a gazillion different business license fees. And just keeping up with all the regulations – it just doesn’t stop. Rick Harrison
I bought a 1200-year-old Viking bracelet once. Rick Harrison
