Famous quotes

Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide

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“I also think that Il testamento di Tito, together with Amico fragile, is my best song. It gives an idea of how laws might change if they were written by those who do not have power. It is another of the songs written from the heart, without fear of appearing rhetorical, and I can still sing it today without tiring. (p. 35)”
Fabrizio De André (1940–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I learned I'm not the kind of artist that can just sing someone else's songs, for a lot of reasons. I have to have some sort of understanding of the song, or some sort of attachment to it.”
Colleen Fitzpatrick (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Music is my life, if I am without music or if I can't sing any more, I die, I'm nothing...because music is everything.”
Ayumi Hamasaki (born 1978) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But first I was made to learn music, because music and dance go together. You can sing, but you can’t dance without music...”
Vyjayanthimala (born 1936) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Retiring from music is unthinkable for me. If I were to stop playing music, a part of me would die. Music is my passion, my love, and my source of joy. When I sing, I derive immense happiness from seeing people’s faces light up with delight.”
Ebenezer Obey (born 1942) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Evangelist Ebenezer Obey: The Juju Legend Who Defied His Mother’s Wishes to Follow His Dreams 2024, THISDAY (Nigeria).
“I find it easy to maintain a decent life as a father and husband who is under the spotlight because of the music that I sing. When I write music, I fast and pray. It creates the intimacy that I need to have when making music,”
Dumi Mkokstad first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I wanted to be a soccer star, but gospel chose me' – Dumi Mkokstad, Sowetan,Masego Seemela(July 11,2025)
“We will sing to you, Doctor. The universe will sing you to your sleep. This song is ending. But the story never ends.”
Russell T Davies (born 1963) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ood Sigma, to the Tenth incarnation of the Doctor, in The End of Time [4.18] (1 January 2010)
“The whales do not sing because they have an answer. They sing because they have a song.”
Gregory Colbert (born 1960) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ashes and Snow : A Novel in Letters (2005) Flying Elephants Press
“Anything I can sing, I call a song. Anything I can't sing, I call a poem.”
Bob Dylan (born 1941) first seen 1963 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Liner notes, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
“By the winding stream we shall lie and dream We'll make dreams come true if we want them to Yes all will come play the pipes and drum Sing a happy song and we'll sing along.”
Van Morrison (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What I fear most is that you will know where the laughs are going to come, or that you will know a character so well that you know when they're going to sing a song. In some shows, you just know that the audience is sitting there going "Oh no, she's going to sing.”
Tracey Ullman (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Raise a song for her, O Muse! The violet-crownèd maiden, And praise her soft throat's changing hues, Her low voice, laughter-laden. Sing yet again her thousand charms, Her eyes entrancing splendour, Her swarthy cheeks and supple arms And bosom dark and tender. Yea, sing forevermore of her, My mistress soft-beguiling, Fairest of all who are, or were, My Sappho, sweetly-smiling.”
Alcaeus (born 631 BC) first seen 1901 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Paraphrase (tr. James S. Easby-Smith, 1901)
“Señora Perez, I would like to thank you. I would like to sing to you, to sing a song of love; for I have watched you with my eyes wide open. I have watched you with learning eyes. You are a mother, and your arms are open wide for your children, for your people. Mrs. Perez, you are working hard.”
Margaret Trudeau (born 1948) first seen 1976 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1976 song about Blanca Rodríguez (wife of Carlos Andrés Pérez) according to 4 Feb 1976 New York Times article
“Natasha Bedingfield: "I have so much respect for Madonna after learning how hard it is to sing ["Ray of Light"]. She has an amazing voice - the range you need to sing the song is incredible.”
Madonna (entertainer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Piping down the valleys wild, Piping songs of pleasant glee, On a cloud I saw a child, And he laughing said to me: "Pipe a song about a Lamb." So I piped with merry cheer; "Piper, pipe that song again." So I piped; he wept to hear.”
William Blake (1757–1827) said by 1827 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I used to think that myself and my songs were the same thing. But I don't believe that any more. There's myself and there's my song, which I hope is everybody's song.”
Bob Dylan (born 1941) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview by Hubert Saal, "Dylan is Back," Newsweek (26 February 1968)
“A good song is a good song, and if I'm lucky enough to write it, well....! I get more kick out of writing than I do singing. I reckon I've written a thousand songs and had over 300 published.”
Hank Williams (1923–1953) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Gleason, Ralph (06-28-1969). 1952 interview of Hank Williams. Rolling Stone.
“When I wrote about Hank Williams 'A hundred floors above me in the tower of song', it's not some kind of inverse modesty. I know where Hank Williams stands in the history of popular song. Your Cheatin' Heart, songs like that, are sublime, in his own tradition, and I feel myself a very minor writer.”
Hank Williams (1923–1953) said by 1953 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Leonard Cohen, Who held a gun to Leonard Cohen's head? The Guardian (2006-06-20)
“I'm here touring with my latest record, Bass Generation. I produced and wrote all the songs, and I was really focused and wrote all the lyrics from the bottom of my heart. Each song is different, but if people listen they'll know it's a Basshunter song.”
Basshunter (born 1984) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Colorado Daily interview with Wendy Kale (5 April 2010)
“(Laughs) By the time I was at Coke Studio, I had already recorded the song but I had not yet done the video. The song had been recorded with Micheal Fingers at Masters Studios. At Coke Studio, the lady requested for my songs since I had no video for it, I played my other videos and the audio for Drum and guess what? She fell in love with Drum.”
Lydia Jazmine (born 1991) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(About the final part of ‘'Nuntereggae più’') It's just another way of saying: “Oh well, since I've told you these things, since the song isn't political, the song isn't a rally, the singer-songwriter isn't Enrico Berlinguer or Marco Pannella, then at this point those who only write love songs are right.” (p. 41)”
Rino Gaetano (1950–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I also made this mistake with one of my old songs.. It’s easy to make the mistake of making a self worship song instead of a worship song. There is a difference between ‘I am the example they see, I am a walking fire’ and ‘You are my hiding place, I worship your majesty’.”
Frank Edwards (born 1989) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The music element is definitely one of my favorite parts of making the show. I grew-up listening to a lot of music and also playing in bands since high school — punk bands, rock bands, and some even more heavy metal. It’s a real passion. Music and comedy go so well, hand in hand. We really found a way to amplify the comedy through song in “Kiff”.”
Nic Smal wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Regardless of its purpose, the humpback-whale song is the most complex piece of nonhuman composition on earth. Whether it's art, prayer, or booty call, the humpback song is an amazing thing to experience firsthand, and I suspect that even once the science of it is put to bed, it will remain, as long as they sing, magic.”
Christopher Moore (author) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I've seen the light And I've seen the flame. And I've been this way before, And I'm sure to be this way again.For I've been refused, And I've been regained, And I've seen your eyes before, And I'm sure to see your eyes again. Once again.For I've been released, And I've been regained, And I've sung my song before, And I'm sure to sing my song again. Once again.”
Neil Diamond (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sing your song, unforgiving siren, Part the curtain clouds with your faithful entrance, And clear your voice. Pour your song of milk onto this land of yours.”
Masiela Lusha (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the largest sense, every work of art is protest. … A lullaby is a propaganda song and any three-year-old knows it. … A hymn is a controversial song — sing one in the wrong church: you'll find out. …”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pop Chronicles, Show 33 - Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. Part 1, interview recorded 2.14.1968.
“People have kept on asking me: did he sing well? I reply, the world is a song, but we do not know whether it is a good song because we have nothing to compare it with.”
Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Folk music is not so much a body of art as it is a process, an attitude, and a way of life; its distinguishing features lie not within the songs themselves, but in the relations of those songs to a folk culture.”
Sam Hinton (1917–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I like people to go away from a Queen show feeling fully entertained, having had a good time. I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film - after that, they can go away and say that was great, and go back to their problems. I don't want to change the world with our music. There are no hidden messages in our songs, except for some of Brian's.”
Freddie Mercury (1946–1991) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Man Who Would Be Queen" in Melody Maker (2 May 1981).
“Nobody wants to be dancing to political songs. Every bit of music out there that’s making it into the mainstream is really about nothing. I wanted to see if I could write songs about something important and make it sound like nothing. And it kind of worked.”
M.I.A. (born 1975) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Nirali magazine (October 2004)
“We're [the Red Hot Chili Peppers] jamming and that works really well. We don't talk much about songs or how songs should be constructed. We just start to play and see what happens, how they develop. We improvise a lot. We find a groove. We experiment and somehow it turns into music. The Koreans have influenced us a lot, through their loving attitude, evil dictatorship, and funky bass playing.”
Flea (musician) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s true that my music is not always genre specific, but I always see it as Afro-centric. I will be releasing an album of my own songs later this year (2016) and I will be singing in my local languages of Sissala and Wale as well as English. Some of the songs will sound traditional and local to where I grew up, whilst others will be more mainstream influenced.”
Wiyaala (born 1986) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ghana’s Wiyaala Is The Next Big International Personality, News Ghana, 29 July 2016.
“When they (the fans) listened to some of my old songs, they will write me as if they are talking to their girlfriend. There was a music label in London (England) that wanted to remix one of my songs that I recorded on DECCA base on that.”
Evi Edna Ogholi (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I've always wanted people to ask questions about the music. Some songs you get. Some songs you may not. And I think that's the beauty of art: to question and to ask, to understand the deeper meaning after two or three or four listenings. I appreciate that as a writer because sometimes the mystery, when it's gone, is not as interesting. I love the mystery behind things”
Janelle Monae (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have been singing your songs way before I had a music career, and since finding my way as a singer and musician, I have grown to appreciate your songs on a deeper level,”
Ice Seguerra (born 1983) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ice Seguerra pays tribute to his ‘hero’ Alanis Morissette, says Grammy winner’s songs ‘a big part of my core’, By: Dale CalanogINQUIRER.net 4 August 2023.
“It's not as if I went from hardcore punk to four-on-the-floor dance music. I always considered the songs I've written to be intelligent pop songs and perhaps just the production that varies but it's still very much the same voice.”
Colleen Fitzpatrick (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I can sing about songs with gunshots in the background because I heard them. It's almost like my music has been a way to smoke out the hatred that's been bubbling underneath what's going on in Sri Lanka. If there's 300,000 people who are trapped and they're dying, it should be talked about, it should be brought to the table, and I don't see anything wrong in sticking up for 300,000 dying people.”
M.I.A. (born 1975) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Video Interview to TIME (2009)
“Do we really have to wander around apologizing for enjoying plot, just because James Wood and a few dozen other arch-aesthetes sniff at it? It's like being careful not to sing pop songs in the shower because some guy in the local alt-weekly is a music snob.”
Patrick Nielsen Hayden (born 1959) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Oh No Lev Grossman No", in Making Light (30 August 2009)
“The thing I’ve always thought about music is that it’s not competitive, it’s cooperative. I thought that was a really good example. We chose the songs because all three of us loved them so much we were afraid we’d get sick if we didn’t record them. Then we’d choose the arrangement by who was going to sing lead, by who sounded best…”
Linda Ronstadt (born 1946) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On working with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the Trio albums in “Linda Ronstadt on New Live Album, Life With Parkinson’s and Modern Country Music” in Rolling Stone (2019 Feb 7)
“The movie business is very difficult but the music business is just impossible. So I'll play in bands and record and play songs with other people, but for me it's a form of expression that all I need is me. I don't need cameras or agents, I can just have a piano and sing and feel totally verified.”
Jeremy Renner (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Almost everything can be forgiven to those who are honest. Say, for example, if we [Kino] play our music in an unprofessional manner, or sing our songs in an unprofessional way – and we have made countless mistakes of this kind – our fans will overlook this, but, if we do not try our best to be honest our fans will never forgive us.”
Viktor Tsoi (1962–1990) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in an 1987 interview, "Viktor Tsoi: The Legend Of Russia’s Greatest Rock Star Lives On" (12 August 2020)
“You know that since we were colonised for 100 years, for all that time our traditional music was oppressed, people were not free to sing their traditional songs.”
Stella Chiweshe (1946–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I started music, some people were telling me to deviate a little bit from my personality, that is, wear something more explicit and sing more explicit songs, but I told them it wouldn't last because I couldn't sustain it. I have been this way from the beginning and I would not change, and that is why my brand has lasted.”
MzVee (born 1992) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I Was Told I Wouldn't Succeed Because I Looked Like A Gospel Musician" - MzVee, peacefmonline.com, 21 June 2022.
“Yes, let Art go, if it must be That with it men must starve — If Music, Painting, Poetry Spring from the wasted hearth.Nay, brothers, sing us battle songs With clear and ringing rhyme; Nay, show the world its hateful wrongs, And bring the better time!”
Francis Adams (writer) first seen 1909 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Bernard O'Dowd, Poetry Militant: An Australian Plea for the Poetry of Purpose (Melbourne: T. C. Lothian, 1909)
“I am a storyteller who uses words and music to speak to an audience. Sometimes I write songs, sometimes I sing them and tell stories. Creating and directing musicals encompasses all of what I do.”
David Kramer (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is not really about following any trend. I am a recording and performing DJ, which means that I am at liberty to release my own songs, even though I don’t sing in it. I’m not an artiste but I know a lot about music and DJs are a very integral part of the hip hop culture. It is also a good way of keeping our image in the consciousness of the public.”
DJ Lambo (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I miss the lack of melody [in current music] as well. I mean, a lot of people think I'm crazy for liking Creed and I like them purely because they sing! I mean, the singer of Creed sings like the guy from Pearl Jam, very close kind of voice. But I like the fact that Creed sing. I don't care if they're a Bible band, Satan band...”
Ozzy Osbourne (1948–2025) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: MTV.com, 2002
“If you think dope is for kicks and for thrills, you’re out of your mind. There are more kicks the fuck to be had in a good case of paralytic polio or by living in an iron lung. If you think you need stuff to play music or sing, you’re crazy. It can fix you so you can’t play nothing or sing nothing.”
Billie Holiday (1915–1959) said by 1959 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We were recording a song called "I Don't Ever Want To Be Without You." The same Christian record company radio guy called me and asked me if we could change the song's title and lyrics. when I asked why, he said, "Because there are two negative words in the title-don't and without … I'd like some positive ones; can you call the song, 'I Always Want To Be With You?"'”
Mark Heard (1951–1992) said by 1992 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source