More - Ray Charles Quotes

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.

Ray Charles

 American Musician People

When 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.

Ray Charles

 

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.

Ray Charles

 American Musician Country

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.

Ray Charles

 American Musician New Testament

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.

Ray Charles

 Heartbreak

I'm not into the money thing. You can only sleep in one bed at a time. You can only eat one meal at a time, or be in one car at a time. So I don't have to have millions of dollars to be happy. All I need are clothes on my back, a decent meal, and a little loving when I feel like it. That's the bottom line.

Ray Charles

 Bed Money

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

Ray Charles

 American Musician

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

Ray Charles

 American Musician Childhood

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.

Ray Charles

 American Musician Music

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

Ray Charles

 Electricity