Ray Charles

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

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

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

“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.”

“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.”

“Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor.”

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