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"25 Ray Charles Quotes & Sayings

      American     /     View profile
Born: 23 September 1930. Died: 10 June 2004 | Musician | Pianist | Composer |

I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.

Famous Great Never Only
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The fact of the matter is, you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done.

About Anything Done Fact
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Love is a special word, and I use it only when I mean it. You say the word too much and it becomes cheap.

Becomes Cheap Love Love Is
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I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me - like food or wat

Arrived Blood Born Food
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Affluence separates people. Poverty knits 'em together. You got some sugar and I don't; I borrow some of yours. Next month you might not have any flour; well, I'll give you some of mine.

Affluence Any Borrow Flour
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My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.

Buried Childhood Darkest Dug
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I did it to myself. It wasn't society... it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.

Being Black Blind Did
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My version of 'Georgia' became the state song of Georgia. That was a big thing for me, man. It really touched me. Here is a state that used to lynch people like me suddenly declaring my version of a song as its state song. That is touching.

Became Big Big Thing Declaring
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There are many spokes on the wheel of life. First, we're here to explore new possibilities.

Explore First Here Life
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I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been able to hear.

Able Been Happened Hear
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Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.

After Around Been Behind
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What is a soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room.

Electricity Force Know Light
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There's nothing written in the Bible, Old or New testament, that says, 'If you believe in Me, you ain't going to have no troubles

Believe Bible Going Me
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What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.

Approach Blues Country Country
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Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory

Braille Damn Develop Ear
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Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor.
Academy Highest Honor Life
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I am very into lyrics. I start with what the words are saying, what the storyline is saying, like a good script. It should really capture me, do something for me. If I don't get it, it's not going to move people, and if it's not going to move people, it's not going to happen.
Am Capture Get Going
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Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond.

Affected Listen Music People
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People couldn't understand why my mama would have this blind kid out doing things like cutting wood for the fire. But her thing was: He may be blind, but he ain't stupid.

Blind Cutting Doing Fire
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I'm a firm believer in God himself, but that's as far as I can go. I'm not any denomination. I'm not Catholic or Presbyterian or Baptist or Methodist or Jewish or Muslim. I'm none of those things. And I'm sure that's just fine with God.

Any As Far As Baptist Believer
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I've always been the kind of person who, if there's anything that can kill me, I want to know something about it.

About Always Anything Been
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I met Quincy Jones in Seattle. We were kids together... liked each other when we met and have been close ever since. He wasn't writing when we met - in fact, I more or less started him off to write; voicing, harmony, and stuff like that.

Been Close Each Ever
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I don't know about other writers, but for myself, to write I must be relatively quiet - it's very difficult to write with the telephone and the doorbell ringing and conversation going on; I'm not that good a writer to write through all that!

About Conversation Difficult Going
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Any artist, when he goes in to record, should have the feeling that any song he records can be a hit. This may sound egotistical, but it makes sense.

Any Artist Egotistical Feeling
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To me, music is entertainment - what else can it be? In fact, it's the only language I know of that's universal.
Else Entertainment Fact In Fact
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Ray Charles Quotes & Sayings