--- title: Tracy Morgan: How I’m Picking Up the Pieces description: Tough times don't last—tough people do. canonical: https://time.com/4218438/tracy-morgan-post-accident/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-11T22:31:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:37.544Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Tracy Morgan: How I’m Picking Up the Pieces og:description: Tough times don't last—tough people do og:url: https://time.com/4218438/tracy-morgan-post-accident/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb7e8aa7d2bb302b/69887d480a4a220c6a9c8569/tracy-morgan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2021 og:image:height: 1137 og:image:alt: Tracy Morgan on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015" on Dec. 17, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tracy Morgan: How I’m Picking Up the Pieces twitter:description: Tough times don't last—tough people do twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbb7e8aa7d2bb302b/69887d480a4a220c6a9c8569/tracy-morgan.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tracy Morgan: How I’m Picking Up the Pieces > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Late Night Highlight: Tracy Morgan And Jimmy Kimmel Take A Hilarious Zoo Tour [Watch (HLS stream): Late Night Highlight: Tracy Morgan And Jimmy Kimmel Take A Hilarious Zoo Tour](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5ZUVASdD.m3u8) (0:43)  _Published 2015-10-21. Tracy Morgan took some time out of his busy schedule to tour the Bronx Zoo with Jimmy Kimmel, and it was hilarious._ by [Tracy Morgan / WhoSay](https://time.com/author/whosay/) ## Tracy Morgan / WhoSay Feb 11, 2016 10:31 PM UTC  Tracy Morgan on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015" on Dec. 17, 2015. Tracy Morgan on "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2015" on Dec. 17, 2015.Heidi Gutman—ABC via Getty Images by [Tracy Morgan / WhoSay](https://time.com/author/whosay/) ## Tracy Morgan / WhoSay Feb 11, 2016 10:31 PM UTC _This_ [_article_](http://www.whosay.com/articles/13842-tracy-morgan-picking-up-the-pieces) _was written by Tracy Morgan for_ [_WhoSay_](http://www.whosay.com) _about his return to the stage for his national tour,_ [_Picking Up the Pieces_](http://www.whosay.com/whosay.com/tour) Hey guys. It’s Tracy Morgan. As you probably know, I’m back. And you know what? I’m ready to start being funny again. For as long as I can remember, I’ve used comedy to deal with anything that’s come my way. I figure it’s why God gave me my sense of humor. After all, if you don’t laugh, you’re going to cry. So I decided to go back on tour. Even after everything I’ve been through, all those hardships, I knew it was time to go out there and feel the pulse of the people. And being back on that stage again? Ah, man, it’s like the first day I lost my virginity. Just incredible. It’s like a rebirth. I remember when I stepped up on that stage during the Emmys last September, my first appearance since everything that happened. Oh, man, it was emotional. But at the same time, I wanted to let my family know that I was back by being funny. Because, to me, that’s the important thing. It was a moment that I’ll never forget in my life. To see L.L., Jon Hamm, Tina Fey, Jon Stewart…see all the people that I love in the game. They were welcoming me back. They were welcoming me home. Now that I’m on the road, I’ve gotten back to my usual structured routine. To me, there’s nothing worse than living in chaos. I refuse to have that. Not at this point. That’s why I’m so grateful to have my family with me on the road. They keep me grounded. I’m a family man first; I’m a husband and a father above everything. Just seeing my wife and daughter every day has reminded me of what’s important and what’s really not. Keeps things in perspective. I know that lots of you might be going through hard times right now, but remember one thing: Tough times don’t last, tough people do. In my opinion, you’ve got to either get busy living, or get busy dying—and I tell everybody to get busy living! Take it from me—I almost lost my life, and it’s too precious. You’ve got to live your life to the fullest. Don’t just follow your dreams, start living them. I just want to finish this up by letting all you fans know that I love you all. I can’t wait to come to a city near you and give you that real ‘Tracy Morgan’ flavor. This tour, it’s the experience of my life. 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