And so our mothers and grandmothers have, more often than not anonymously, handed on the creative spark, the seed of the flower they themselves never hoped to see – or like a sealed letter they could not plainly read.

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.

Writing a song is so personal. You have to have trust in someone you’re working with; otherwise, you’re not gonna come out with something that’s really you.

One of the greatest lessons of my own life was learning to turn the inner rampage of hatred and anger toward my own father for his reprehensible behavior and abandonment of his family into an inner reaction more closely aligned with God and God-realized love.

I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act.

The one excellent thing that can be learned from a lion is that whatever a man intends doing should be done by him with a whole-hearted and strenuous effort.

I can’t usually stomach a project after I finish it, but for those days and weeks and months that it’s new to me, I do listen to it, and it might change over time, but it’s about function.

If you deserve it, go get it.

It was a privilege to pray with Governor Romney – for his family and our country.

Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice.

There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.

Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn.

In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.

The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.

A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.

I am not virtuous. Our sons will be if we shed enough blood to give them the right to be.

I can imagine in years to come that my papers and memorabilia, my journals and letters, will find themselves always in the company of people who care about many of the things I do.

It is written on the arched sky; it looks out from every star. It is the poetry of Nature; it is that which uplifts the spirit within us.

Painting, I think it’s like jazz.

My ultimate life dream project is my kids. My family.

My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.

It’s rare for anyone to value the opinions of a teenage girl.

One often makes music to supplement one’s world.

Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another.

My lyrics are generated by various peculiar processes. Very random and similar to automatic writing.

Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.

No man was ever wise by chance.

I have so many designs and video ideas and lyrics in my head, so I always try to be productive.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.

I no have education. I have inspiration. If I was educated, I would be a damn fool.

Surrealism had a great effect on me because then I realised that the imagery in my mind wasn’t insanity. Surrealism to me is reality.

When I started Virgin from a basement in west London, there was no great plan or strategy. I didn’t set out to build a business empire… For me, building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives.

Someday I want to have children and give them all the love I never had.

‚Two Voices,‘ from my album with Peter Schwalm, is an intact dream-poem. I awoke one night with an image of a piece of paper and all the words of the poem written on it, so I just blundered down to the kitchen table and ‚copied it out.‘

I intend to inspire people with my story: motivate young people that grew up like myself, or even not like myself. Just, you know, go through the human experience.

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.

The events that I have attended to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience. It has touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families, neighbors and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere.

I think one of my pursuits over the years is trying to answer the question of, ‚What else can you do with a voice other than stand in front of a microphone and sing?‘

Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed.

A musician should only sound like what they do, and no two musicians sound the same. It’s an individual-feel thing, you know?

What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn’t think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know.

The thing about being an artist today is you get to develop right in front of people’s eyes before you even put out an album.

Begin noticing and being careful about keeping your imagination free of thoughts that you do not wish to materialize. Instead, initiate a practice of filling your creative thoughts to overflow with ideas and wishes that you fully intend to manifest. Honor your imaginings regardless of others seeing them as crazy or impossible.

I continue to care for President Obama and for his family. I think that in many ways they are very courageous people, and I honor that, because I know what it means to live as a black person in a racist America.

The secret is not to give up hope. It’s very hard not to because if you’re really doing something worthwhile I think you will be pushed to the brink of hopelessness before you come through the other side.

I always thought money was something just to make me happy. But I’ve learned that I feel better being able to help my folks, ‚cause we never had nothing. So just to see them excited about my career is more of a blessing than me actually having it for myself.

Sometimes I’ll jot a clever turn of phrase down. Sometimes I’ll just remember it.

Imagination decides everything.

The more you practice, the better you get, the more freedom you have to create.

Necessity… the mother of invention.

I did have two dads; one was a socialist, and one was a capitalist. I really decided I would rather be a capitalist.

If women believed in their husbands they would be a good deal happier and also a good deal more foolish.

Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.

Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.

Country radio is much more like a family than any other group of people that I’ve met.

I didn’t have any children of my own.

If you are born an artist, you have no choice but to fight to stay an artist.

Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom.

Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.