Words of Wonder

Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.

The only people who are really blind are those whose eyes are so obscured by hatred and bigotry that they can't see the light of love and justice.

Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn't mean he lacks vision.

The two big advantages I had at birth were to have been born wise and to have been born in poverty.

You can't base your life on other people's expectations.

Give me the key in which I am to sing and if it is a key that you too feel may you join and sing with me.

Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.

To all of you that can hear me, now and for the rest of your lives, know that I love you always. Until the ocean covers every mountain high.

I don't see any reason for taking drugs. If I were high it would destroy the character of my music.

Music can measure how broad your horizons are. My mind wants to see infinity.

Because you are blind you can't? Because you are black you can't? Because you are poor you can't? I'm not feeling that and I never do and I never will.

There will be no future if we dont learn to live with each other, And I'm gonna try and bring people closer together.

I would like to believe in reincarnation. I would like to believe that there is anothe life. I think that sometimes your consciousness can happen on the earth a second time around. For me, I wrote Higher Ground even before the accident but something must have been telling me that something was going to happen to make me aware of a lot of things and to get myself together. This is like my second chance for life, to do something or to do more, and to value the fact that I am alive.

I cherish the fact that I do have that privelege. I feel that He has given me a lot. I have to use it for what I really believe is right; not to abuse it. Because when you start abusing things, that's when they get taken away. It's happened time and time again in the history of many civilisations.

I am glad I am blind. I can see more of life this way.

There are many songs that I write, many songs that could have gone on say, Innervisions or Talking Book which are in the can. And I have to make a decision about those songs.

Martin Luther King showed us, non-violently, a better way of life, a way of mutual respect, helping us to avoid much bitter confrontation and inevitable blood shed. We still have a long raod to travel until we reach the world that was his dream.

Dr. King has left an unfinished symphony, which we must complete.

There are people who nobody cares about. The trouble is many people take material things too seriously, thinking of themselves and nobody else.

Children to me are real happiness. They are part of you. They fulfill you and bring sunshine into your life.

Minds ripen at very different ages.

Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle!

Everything is from the earth or from the atmosphere or something. God only lends you the ability to detect it, to pick it up and use it.

I do believe there is a God, a Supreme Being. 'Cause how else could it be? How else can we have the ability to feel if there was not? Or else how could we have the ability to express or to have emotional feelings about things? The voice, you see, is an instrument; the human instrument and it's a beautiful gift. For the Supreme Being to give you the ability with what we just commonly say 'the throat' to sing. You've got everything right there.

Sometimes, I feel I am really blessed to be blind because I probably would not last a minute if I were able to see things.

The synthesizers allowed me to do a lot of things I wanted to do for a long time, but which were just not possible until it came along. It adds a whole new dimension to music.

I'm the hardest person for me to please, and when I finally please myself, I know I have something good. People expect good music but they don't understand you can't make good music overnight. I do the best I can no matter how long it takes.

Eyes lie if you ever look into them for the character of the person.