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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“And who will join this standing up and the ones who stood without sweet company will sing and sing back into the mountains and if necessary even under the sea we are the ones we have been waiting for”
June Jordan (1936–2002) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Poem for South African Women", Passion (1980); on South African women protesting the dompas laws of apartheid.
“People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing.”
Florence Foster Jenkins (1868–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed without citation in Vernon Alfred Howard, Charm and Speed: Virtuosity in the Performing Arts (2008), p. 129.
“Sorry, I don’t understand ragas. Just show me the tune and I sing.” Then sing anything you like, said Boral, and Saigal started singing something in Raag Asawari.”
K. L. Saigal (1904–1947) said by 1947 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Why does everybody not sing a national anthem all together? The player who cannot sing a national anthem is not a Japanese representative.”
Yoshirō Mori (born 1937) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in 森氏「どうして国歌歌わない」五輪壮行会で苦言 (in Japanese), Kyodo news (3 July 2016).
“I can sing in my brain…I sing in my brain all the time. It’s not quite the same as doing it physically. There’s a physical feeling in singing that’s just like skiing down a hill. Except better, because I’m not a very good skier.”
Linda Ronstadt (born 1946) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how she still sings in her head since retiring from music due to having Parkinson’s disease in “Linda Ronstadt Talks Illness, ‘Trio’ Album in Candid ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ Interview” in Rolling Stone (2019 Feb 4)
“Women are afraid to sing salsa…I don't know why; maybe they think it's for men. I am not a composer, or a soneo, a singer and a poet, which is very difficult. But I think everybody can sing everything.”
Celia Cruz (1925–2003) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the gender stereotypes surrounding salsa singers in “CELIA CRUZ: AT THE TOP OF SALSA” in New York Times (1985 Nov 19).
“When I first started singing the anthem, my thoughts were always to sing it in a way that my father would like it to be sung— not just the sound, but also the intention. If you sing anything with intention, it really is hard to get tired of it.”
Mark Donnelly (born 1960) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mark Donnelly: Q&A with the slimming anthem singer (March 13, 2012)
“So take these broken wings and learn to fly again, learn to live so free And when we hear the voices sing the book of love will open up for us and let us in Take these broken wings You got to learn to fly again, got to learn to live so free And when we hear the voices sing the book of love will open up and let us in Yeah, yeah”
John Miles (1949–2021) first seen 1985 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Broken Wings" (song, 1985, by American pop rock band Mr. Mister)
“When will the work be finished? The wait is nearly unbearable. “Soon and very soon!” we sing each Sunday. “No more crying, no more dying, no more hunger, no more fighting!” We sing at the top of our lungs. We clap. Outside a siren’s high-pitched wail goes racing toward the next crisis. Soon can’t come soon enough.”
Heidi Neumark (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But I could sing. It was given to me; it was a gift. And I thought everybody could sing.”
Shirley Jones (born 1934) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Shirley speak about being a singer in 2013.
“I sing about the injustices in society, what’s unfair or does harm. I sing about the things that I don’t like, but the theme of “the woman,” that is the most important focus for me. The problems women suffer, that’s what I want to change.”
Oumou Sangaré (born 1968) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Oumou Sangaré, BOMB Magazine, 1997.
“[Religion is] beaten into me, so I can’t sing about anything else. If I try to sing about other things, I draw a complete blank. I let the universe speak through me, and if I have to force it, it just won’t come.”
Glen Benton (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sing, goddess, the anger of Achilles, Peleus’ son, the accursed anger which brought the Achaeans countless agonies and hurled many mighty shades of heroes into Hades, causing them to become the prey of dogs and all kinds of birds; and the plan of Zeus was fulfilled. Sing from the time the two men were first divided in strife— Atreus' son, lord of men, and glorious Achilles.”
Anthony Verity (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All that I am all that I am sing hallelujah will sing hallelujah to you.”
Sammie Okposo (1971–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I knew I could sing from as early as I can remember. From the age of seven, I knew I could sing and I have been singing since. I first sang in front of a crowd when I was 13 years old.”
Diana Hamilton (musician) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s Rele who came to me, and made me sing. When the person who’s singing is not in the team, I would sing”
Mohau Nkota (born 2004) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yeah, when I was a kid he used to tell me to be quiet and shut up when I was running around the house singing. He told me I couldn’t sing, shut up and all of that. At 15 someone else he knew called him and said, “Do you know your daughter can sing?” He tried to act like he never knew. From there I started working with him and the rest is history.”
Syleena Johnson (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There’s a part sa bridge that I ask the crowd to sing along with me. And usually my audience is very shy, but I try my best to let them be heard and let them sing with me,”
Clara Benin (born 1994) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Clara Benin shares love’s soft moments in Scout’s The Listening Party, Written by: Pauline Ysabel Miranda 18 September 2026.
“I do but sing because I must, And pipe but as the linnets sing.”
Alfred Tennyson (active around 1809) bartlett, Public domain source
“I decided a handful of years ago that I just want to write songs that you can understand as soon as you put the record on. There’s no need to veil what’s happening in the song the way I used to. My goal as a songwriter now is to simply write some memorable turns of phrase.”
Ben Gibbard (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The songwriting style, to me, is superior... there was a certain amount of joy in it, no matter how sad the song is. You get joy in listening to these Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison sad lyrics. I'm attracted to songs that have balance between the darks and the lights and giving them all equal opportunity.”
M. Ward (born 1973) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On songwriting styles of the post-World War II era, in an interview with Bob Boilen on All Songs Considered (17 November 2006) (NPR)
“The screech and mechanical uproar of the big city turns the citified head, fills citified ears — as the song of birds, wind in the trees, animal cries, or as the voices and songs of his loved ones once filled his heart. He is sidewalk-happy.”
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) said by 1959 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m still obsessed with pushing the perimeters of what entails a pop song. I can’t really let go of that impulse yet. I don’t know where I’m going. I never really do. My songs could come out any shape at this point.”
Joni Mitchell (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We actually aren't able to play other people's songs. The one Stones song we tried to play was "Jumpin' Jack Flash." It was really bad. So we started writing our own — it was easier.”
“That's democratic leadership. It's like a flock of geese. They make the calls from the back. ...If you really are leading, everybody is leading. ...Chris Crenshaw ...started to tell me, from the last two songs, who hadn't played. ...So then we all started to look out for each other. ...Then we start to negotiate the song so that we make sure everyone plays.”
Wynton Marsalis (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world, but the heart has its beaches, its homeland, and thoughts of its own. Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings, but the heart has its seasons its evenings, and songs of its own”
Robert Hunter (1941–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I got one entire song from fortune cookies (Land of Sunshine). On another one, I took words from different Frank Sinatra songs and pasted them together. Another one, I was just driving around and there was a piece of paper on the ground, so I stole it.”
Mike Patton (born 1968) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Guitar Magazine, September 1992.
“I try not to obsess about recording. I'm definitely the one who will leave all the mistakes-to have that balance between what's undone and done. I try to move on to the next thing. I have friends who have been working on the same song for five, six years. They just won't let the songs go.”
Beck (born 1970) first seen 1996 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rolling Stone magazine, 1996
“Nothing in the entire world is worthy but for that day on which The Song of Songs was given to Israel”
Akiba ben Joseph (50–135) said by 135 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yes, 6 songs... Thiruda Thiruda: Great. I felt honoured since it was the last song Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan did before his death. We miss him a lot, it was an emotional bond in the 50th year to bring a synergy between India and Pakistan.”
A. R. Rahman (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My parents wrote their own rules, so it didn’t seem odd to me to invent my life as I went along. … I picked up a guitar and started writing songs late, when I was 22, but quickly became devoted to the craft of song writing, relieved that I had found my inner calling.”
Greta Gaines wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The six types of song that have shaped human nature—friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion, and love songs—I've come to think are obvious...”
Daniel Levitin (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“its fucked up how there are like 1000 christmas songs but only 1 song aboutr the boys being back in town”
“I'm probably much more influenced by film-makers and painters than I am by other songwriters or poets…With songs I almost see the images, see the action, and then all I have to do is describe it. It's almost like watching a scene from a film, and that's what I go about trying to catch in a song.”
PJ Harvey (born 1969) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On her influences in “PJ Harvey: 'I feel things deeply. I get angry, I shout at the TV, I feel sick'” in The Guardian (2011 Apr 24)
“I don't think I ever did pick a hit song, unless it was "Sweet Leilani". ... Some of the songs that [[w:Jack Kapp|Jack [Kapp] ]] picked didn't work, but 99% of them did.”
Bing Crosby (1903–1977) said by 1977 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Strangely enough, I was performing in Chicago at the time, and when it was released, that song "Here We Go, Baby" was a hit in Chicago. It became a big hit in Chicago. It was the only place, but it was there. And it was kind of odd, even for me, because I always prided myself in singing songs with lyrics that meant something.”
Glenn Yarbrough (1930–2016) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Music Weird interviews Glenn Yarbrough (November 19, 2001)
“At the beginning of my career I was terrified of becoming a one-shot singer, from one song and away. Instead I managed to distract people from my so-called hits, like Fuori dal Tunnel for example, which for me are just songs.”
“The true songwriter song is a synthesis of existence, said in an overall simple way. Because although some songs seem convoluted and difficult, two readings are always enough to understand them. Furthermore, the true songwriting does not want to propagate absolute truths, but paths, yes.”
Roberto Vecchioni (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bruno approached me and said that before starting his other projects, which include four gospel songs with Ugandan artists, he wanted us to work together on a worship track. He said, 'Let's first create a song to worship God, and then we can focus on the rest.'”
Aline Gahongayire (born 1986) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Aline Gahongayire and Bruno K Reimagine Ugandan Gospel Favorite “Ruhanga Ishitwe” Inyarwanda.com (10/10/2025)
“I think I should voice another song when I get pregnant. There are actually many of them because when I’m pregnant, I give myself a break, but I use that time to record. I stay in studio, then release the songs later.”
Rema Namakula (born 1991) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rema Namakula reveals her biggest hits are linked to pregnancy,By Benjie, By April 17, 2025
“The Song of Songs speaks of necessary love: being two makes it possible to exist for those who separately would not have made it, would have broken.”
Vittorino Andreoli (born 1940) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Songs are more valuable now than they were before. It used to be entire projects. If you have a really good song, you're good for at least six months”
Samthing Soweto (born 1989) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A song is the most intangible thing in the world. It's not what I like, it's what people like. Songs should be inspirational and have meaning.”
Jimmie Davis (1899–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nashville Songwriters Foundation (nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com), cited in Carl S. Birk, Unfurrowed Ground: The Innovators of Country Music (USA: Infinity Publishing, 2005) pp. 39–40
“Ahó, look, songs are not political texts and I don't give speeches. This is just a joke. In short, for me, ‘'Nuntereggae più’' is the lightest song I've ever written.”
Rino Gaetano (1950–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(About Mango) I started out in the 1980s singing Lei Verrà in piano bars. It was one of the songs that gave me the chance to start my musical career. The news of his death is shocking. Mango will always be remembered as a great artist, because death cannot silence a voice and a song.”
Marco Masini (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I can't write about Genoa because I'm too involved. I don't write anthem because I don't like marches and because nothing can surpass the chants of the Gradinata Nord. If anything, I would have written a love song for Genoa, but I don't do it because to write songs you need to maintain a certain detachment from what you write, whereas Genoa involves me too much.”
Fabrizio De André (1940–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Rino Gaetano writes songs using a distinctive, refined and carefully crafted language; it's a kind of realistic poetry in some cases, and symbolic in others. I like it best when he sings Tu, forse non essenzialmente tu ('You, perhaps not essentially you'); it's a fairly desperate song, supported by a beautiful melody.”
Renzo Arbore (born 1937) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I decided to collaborate with the girls because I felt they would be able to bring out the objective I wanted in the song and they actually delivered. I still have plans to release other songs and I’ll do that when the time is ripe.”
“There's too much competition. People have short attention spans. They may love one song from you and stick with that for about six months. But if you release 10 hot songs, not all of them will get the reception you expect.”
DJ Maphorisa (born 1988) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In my hustles to make ends meet, I wrote a song titled Kivuruge which luckily was sung by Nandy and from there I got recognition and the opportunity to write more songs.”
Jay Melody wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source