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. 1,158,808 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“Encratic language (the language produced and spread under the protection of power) is statutorily a language of repetition; all official institutions of language are repeating machines: schools, sports, advertising, popular songs, news, all continually repeat the same structure, the same meaning, often the same words.”
Roland Barthes (1915–1980) first seen 1975 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Pleasure of the Text (1975)
“Distorting hackneyed words in hackneyed songs He turns revolt into a style, prolongs The impulse to a habit of the time.”
Thom Gunn (1929–2004) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Elvis Presley,", in The Sense of Movement (1957).
“By nature of me being the one singing it and writing it there is always an innate bit of autobiography there ... but I think I learned years ago that you don't get songs that have that long stride and that pivot-hinge ability if it's too much diary entry.”
Leslie Feist (born 1976) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Just Feist. Just Wait." by Jon Pareles in The New York Times (15 April 2007)
“If you have never been to a live show of mine, then expect almost a full hour of great songs interspersed with hilarious anecdotes about my career, and lengthy clips from my embarrassingly successful channel 4 television shows.”
Derren Brown (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The ultimate source of energy, the sun is ready to set. The leaves of the blooming lotus flower in the pond are losing their lustre. A bumblebee, sitting on that lotus is enjoying the romantic pleasure and murmuring passionate songs.”
Manmohan Acharya (1967–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes, if you stand very still in the shadows of those places, you can hear songs on the wind, whispers in the trees. That is why I travel.”
Valya Dudycz Lupescu (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At the party, Rob Partridge said to me, "You gave hope to other balding men." My new epitaph: "Co-wrote a couple of decent songs and went bald shamelessly.”
“We went back, afterward, after the show was over that night, I took my kids backstage and said, "You know what? I know my dad's songs...”
Arlo Guthrie (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Roger: New bands..old bands - whatever. It's kind of weird. I guess I stay out of the loop on new bands, younger bands an who's getting signed or how many records this band is making. Persoanlly I don't care about things like that. I like melodies and lyrics and songs and energy. Isn't that what's it all about?”
Roger Manganelli (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't really need to stand out, there's room for everyone. Although I haven't built a niche yet, I'm just writing love songs.”
Adele (singer) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: as quoted in Adele - The Biography (2011), by Chas Newkey-Burden.
“If you consider the definition of authenticity, it's saying something and actually doing it. I write my own songs. I made my own videos. I pick my producers. Nothing goes out without my permission. It's all authentic.”
Lana Del Rey (born 1985) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Complex (24 January 2012)
“These songs were the true names of things, spoken by the soul, so easily buried under the little busynesses of everyman everyday.”
Ian McDonald (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat. Losing after great striving is the story of man, who was born to sorrow, whose sweetest songs tell of saddest thought, and who, if he is a hero, does nothing in life as becomingly as leaving it.”
Roger Kahn (1927–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Once more in that hour of darkness In dark black waters they arise Dark songs pass before their eyes They lie awake gazing into darkness”
Ataol Behramoğlu (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Note to self: While on the treadmill you may lip-sync to the songs on your iPod but DO NOT dance along. You look like an idiot.”
Chris Colfer (born 1990) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There's a category for me. I like to be referred to as a good singer of good songs in good taste.”
Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990) first seen 1974 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview The Hollywood Reporter (1974)
“It whispers; all is waiting here Kept safe for thee, year after year, Beautiful songs in thousands; Where hast thou been, where, where?”
Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1864–1931) said by 1931 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed in Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings, tr. Leif Sjoberg and W. H. Auden (1964), journal entry for (October 1, 1957).
“Things are not always as old songs tell them to be—especially when it is concerning dragons.”
Tad Williams (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If I fuckin' die without having written two, three, or four brilliant rock songs... I don't know why I lived my life.”
Courtney Love (born 1964) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks about her ambitions early in her career (1991), Not Bad for a Girl documentary (1995)
“Writing songs has a lot to do with your sexuality. I danced for awhile and just being around that made me realize what people use. And if you grow up blessed with a certain beauty or a certain intelligence that enhances your beauty, you can get into a better position in life.”
Courtney Love (born 1964) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On songwriting and beauty, The Guardian (December 11, 1991)
“All the songs we dance to are of Gods and Goddesses. You may ask, why so many Gods and Goddesses? The only reply I can give is, Why not so many Gods and Goddess ?”
Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quoted in Malhotra, R., Nīlakantan, A. (2011). Breaking India: Western interventions in Dravidian and Dalit faultlines
“Today that rarely happens. Most often the songs are used as a relief. They have nothing to do with the film per say. And all look almost the same. Just replace the central characters and a step here and there...choreography remains the same in most cases. So does the beat. We have so many classical dances and folk dances in the country but nobody seems to be using them.”
Waheeda Rehman (born 1938) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I wanted to produce film songs that go beyond language or culture.”
A. R. Rahman (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Not just songs by Madonna and action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; it includes 1,700 symphony orchestras, opera attended by 7.5 million people every year, and museums that are visited by 500 million annually, almost all American museums, where entrance is quite often free, owe their existence and funding to private sponsors.”
Jean-François Revel (1924–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I feel that the end of my days is drawing near; my senses are failing me; my delight and strength in creating songs are gone; he, who was once honored by half of Europe, is forgotten; others have come and are the objects of admiration; one must give place to another. Nothing remains for me but trust in God, and the hope of an unclouded existence in the Land of Peace.”
Antonio Salieri (1750–1825) first seen 1822 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Salieri in a conversation with Hüttenbrenner on June 8, 1822, quoted in Alexander Wheelock Thayer, Salieri: rival of Mozart (1989), p. 150
“I do sometimes write songs that don’t seem right for Frankie so they get filed away. But don’t worry - anything good will be used. I’m not that gifted that I can afford to throw away any good stuff.”
Holly Johnson (born 1960) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Frankie go bang! by Paul Simper at zttaat.com, Accessed May 2014.
“Mean songs are still better than going postal”
Sara Bareilles (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's New Mexico-style. But, it's not -- I don't want to call it "traditional". We can do traditional songs, but you got to be "modern" in what you do.”
Al Hurricane (1936–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think maybe I was born to be a songwriter. It's quite a comfort. I wrote most of my songs to stay alive, the rest to get back in the house.”
Billy Joe Shaver (1939–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Purification of the soul ... consists in scorning the pleasures that arise through the senses, in not feasting the eyes on the silly exhibitions of jugglers or on the sight of bodies which gives the spur to sensual pleasure, in not permitting licentious songs to enter through the ears and drench your souls.”
Basil of Caesarea (329–379) said by 379 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Heartbroken the dead bird’s mate cried – Your long feathers! Your tuneful songs. A bird hunter came from the forest holding a bow. Valmiki’s heart was pounding and he cursed the killer.”
Valmiki (active around 201 BC) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The distance in form, intention, mood and expression between Schubert's songs for voice and piano and those of, say, Adele is remarkably small.”
Howard Goodall (born 1958) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Howard Goodall's Story of Music. Episode 3, BBC, February 2014
“One hundred years from now Beatles songs may be so well known that every child will learn them as nursery rhymes, and most people will have forgotten who wrote them. They will have become sufficiently entrenched in popular culture that it will seem as if they've always existed, like Oh Susannah, This Land Is Your Land, and Frère Jacques.”
Daniel Levitin (born 1957) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Guardian (June 1, 2007)
“At some point, Dekteon saw, his own world had come close to such a religion, where women ruled and men died—but the road had taken a different turning. Now the hints of the ancient mystery remained only in songs. It was the men who were the masters. Maybe not for the better, and not for the worse, either. But all this was unimportant.”
Tanith Lee (1947–2015) said by 2015 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’ve been playing the songs by Liszt, with which you so surprised me, with great enthusiasm, especially “Gretchen,” “Erlkönig,” and “Sei mir gegrüßt.” Is Liszt coming to Vienna in the summer? Thalberg as well? Is he still coming to Leipzig as promised? Liszt as well? - What is Mrs. von Cibbini doing? Lickl, Vesque von Püttlingen, Fischhof?”
Clara Schumann (1819–1896) first seen 1838 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter from Clara Wieck to Herr von Doppler, asking about a number of composers and musicians (14 Jul 1838)
“May my pain remain drunk singing its own love songs”
Suman Pokhrel (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“James S. Easby-Smith, The Songs of Alcæus (Washington, DC: W. H. Lowdermilk, 1901)”
“Walter Petersen, The Lyric Songs of the Greeks (Boston, MA: Richard G. Badger, 1918)”
“Why should we do it? We have done so many songs, during such a long time. The fact that we had two divorces, and there was no meaning, I think, with getting together, again.”
Agnetha Fältskog (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’d gotten involved in the Women’s Movement, and there were a lot of songs on the radio about being weak and being dainty and all those sort of things. All the women in my family, they were strong women. They worked. They lived through the Depression and a world war, and they were just strong women. I certainly didn’t see myself as being dainty.”
Helen Reddy (1941–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Just have a listen to my songs. If you still want to beat me up, you can.”
Zeki Müren (1931–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You've got to be a very clever people to win a big war and to rule half the world -- but the Japanese didn't behave is clever people. In the first few weeks of conquering any town, they would hold marching exercises as part of their campaign to terrorize residents. They marched six to eight to twelve abreast, chanting Japanese martial songs and stamping on the ground in an exaggerated manner.”
Robert Kuok (born 1923) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would like to inspire the younger generation to go back to the roots we belong to. I feel that the songs will bring back those memories.”
Navneet Aditya Waiba (born 1901) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My mother was a popular folk singer. I grew up listening to her songs and know the lyrics and tunes by heart. Although she wanted me to become a singer, I chose a career in the aviation industry. I have come back after more than 10 years to fulfil her dream.”
Navneet Aditya Waiba (born 1901) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(his answer to 'do you have a twin sister?) "He’s quite influential, that Rodger. He’s done a couple of songs on the new album. He’s off fishing today.”
Zayn Malik (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm very proud of this whole thing - the new single and album. I was given more time to work on it, so I've been able to add little touches. There's been more time to think and listen. All the songs are very special and I'm very, very satisfied with it.”
Basshunter (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“An ancient legend recounts: From a far-off world came a Messenger to bestow upon men Equality, Brotherhood, and Joy. Long since had men forgotten their songs. They remained in a stupor of hate.”
Helena Roerich (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Once I dreamed I'd write songs.”
David Miedzianik (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Just come and listen to my songs, no need to spend money or worry.”
“Recorded songs and live stages are two different things. One is responsible for the people who are willing to wear headphones for you, the responsibility is repeated listening. The other is responsible for the people who are willing to come to the performances for you, the responsibility is emotional resonance.”