Ray Charles Quotes

Ray Charles shares heartfelt, musical reflections that speak to anyone who loves soul-filled memories.

29 quotes

1. I got a woman way over town, That's good to me, Oh yeah!

2. Tell your Mama Tell your Pa Gonna send you back to Arkansas

3. Other arms reach out to me Other eyes smile tenderly Still in peaceful dreams I see The road leads back to you. Georgia, oh Georgia, no peace I find... Just an old sweet song Keeps Georgia on my mind.

4. Hit the road, Jack, and don't you come back no more, no more, no more, no more.

5. The fact of the matter is, you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done.

6. I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.

7. Do it right or don't do it at all. That comes from my mom. If there's something I want to do, I'm one of those people that won't be satisfied until I get it done. If I'm trying to sing something and I can't get it, I'm going to keep at it until I get where I want it.

8. 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.

9. 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 water.

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

11. Music has been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to leave my mark, leave something musically good behind.

12. Music is nothing separate from me. It is me... You'd have to remove the music surgically.

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

14. 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.

15. You better live every day like your last because one day you're going to be right.

16. All people look the same to me.

17. The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it.

18. I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't supposed to cry, but I think that's wrong. Crying's always been a way for me to get things out which are buried deep, deep down. When I sing, I often cry. Crying is feeling, and feeling is being human. Oh yes, I cry.

19. You never can overwhelm an instrument. You will never get out all that's in an instrument. An instrument will bring you to your limits.

20. I'd like to think that when I sing a song, I can let you know all about the heartbreak, struggle, lies and kicks in the ass I've gotten over the years for being black and everything else, without actually saying a word about it.

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

22. I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been able to hear.

23. 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.

24. The words to country songs are very earthy like the blues. They're not as dressed up and the people are very honest and say, 'Look, I miss you darlin', so I went out and got drunk in this bar.' That's the way you say it. Where in Tin Pan Alley they would say, 'Oh I missed you darling, so I went to this restaurant and I sat down and had a dinner for one.' That's cleaned up now, you see? But country and blues tells it like it is.

25. If you can play the blues, you can do anything.

26. Dreams, if they're any good, are always a little bit crazy.

27. Music to me is just like breathing. I have to have it. It's part of me.

28. I set my own rhythm, and I do believe it was usually a little faster than most other people's.

29. I had to pawn my clothes just to pay my rent.