Ben harper quotes

I refuse to make uninspired music.

All that we can't say is all we need to hear.

I don't know how to not become every person I walk by.

I don't kid myself in thinking that I'm on the front lines. I know the people who are on the front lines. I mean there are people in some freakin' significant places making on-the-ground social front line change. I've marched. I've put feet on the ground for what I believe and what I'm against with no compromise. And there are people who are risking a whole hell of a lot more than me to make change, that's for damn sure.

I really feel like the sky is the limit with the Innocent Criminals today.

You can kill a lot of time if you really want to put your mind to it Or leave it all behind and never really have to go through it

If you're gonna live, then live it up. If you're gonna give, then give it up. If you're gonna walk the Earth, then walk it proud. If you're gonna say the word, you got to say it loud.

My band is the best band in the world, period. So, I insist on every song being better than it is on the record. So by the end of the tour, we have to be playing the song better than how it's recorded.

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone - it's possible. But creatively, it's more like painting: you can't just use the same colours in every painting. It's just not an option. You can't take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

It's so hard to do and so easy to say but sometimes you just have to walk away

When you hear Doc Watson singing Amazing Grace, something else enters the room.

We've changed our reflections, but inside we're just a child.

If you don't like my fire, then don't come around. Cause I'm gonna burn one down.

I get diminishing returns when I bore myself in an interview.

Wish there was something that I could say or do, I can resist anything but the temptation from you. But I'd rather walk alone than chase you around, I'd rather fall myself then let you drag me on down.

When your whole world is shaken from all the risks we have taken, Dance with me, dance with me into the colors of the dusk.

It's not easy for a mother and son to sing a duet. You can't just sing about anything.

Could've sworn I heard you say Amen this morning, showing some kind of sign that you believe. Did it fall from your tongue without warning? Or just another trick to fall from your sleeve?

I refuse to age disgracefully in rock 'n' roll.

It turns out that there is something more magnificent than nature. It's love.

You have to do what you believe in.

People say, "How do you write songs?" I say, "Patience." I may have a track that's hot, but no words. I'll just let it sit for years, because I know they're going to meet. They'll find it.

If I'm inspired and music inspires me, then I will continue to play it.

I really feel there's no limitation on what this band can do in the studio or on the stage. That's an empowering feeling - that we can bring a song to life.

My choice is what I choose to do, And if I'm causing no harm, it shouldn't bother you. Your choice is who you choose to be, And if you're causin' no harm, then you're alright with me. If you don't like my fire, then don't come around, 'cause I'm gonna burn one down. Yes, I'm gonna burn one down. Herb the gift from the earth, And what's from the earth is of the greatest worth. So before you knock it try it first, Oh, you'll see it's a blessing and not a curse.

The very thing that drives you, can drive you insane Got a head full of thought crimes and a number with no name Got an eleventh hour Jesus and a mouth full of blame A casket lined with silver dollars and a number with no name.

My choice is what I choose to be.

Don't be discouraged by writer's block. Writer's block just means you need to listen to other music.

Genetics do play a role in how you consciously or subconsciously manifest your true self.

The woman in you is the worry in me.

I grew up listening to spiritual music, Blind Willie Johnson and folk.

Every moral has a story, every story has and end. Every battle has its glory, and its consequence.

Some things You have to let be lost Some battles, some battles You have to leave unfought. Then the truth just wastes away In all we dare not say. And in all we can't explain But I faithfully remain.

People who try to define their spirituality sometimes are annoying, 'cause the spirit is something you feel and let guide you and humbly respect.

Every man's actions belong to him.

As long as someone else controls your history the truth shall remain just a mystery

Sometimes I think to talk too much about music almost cheapens it

Every time feels like my first time. And I just find that the process of it feeds into one's own self-obsession.

There's only one proper way a song should go, but you've got to be patient enough to let them come together time wise. Sometimes it's lightning in a bottle and you got the song. But oftentimes it shows up.

I'm really looking forward to, not more of the same, but a continual growth.

The spirit is what guides my life, and I'm humbly on my knees in thanks for guidance and direction every day. But God is not something to be preached, it's something to be lived.

If it comes out sounding like Dixieland jazz or classical or punk or rock or even slightly metal, that's because that's where I'm going to find inspiration.

A candle throws its light into the darkness, in a nasty world so shines a good deed. Make sure the fortune that you seek is the fortune that you need.

The music is in the lead here, and a large part of this, I have no idea what I'm doing. I feel a closer bond with the craft of songwriting, stronger than I ever have.

I want to try to not be the child that had to go through too much too young. I want to be who I am now and not who I was then.

Fearlessness, absolutely. Discipline. You also need open-minded creativeness that lets everything in. You never want to lose a word or a phrase, yet every one should count. Always the best language possible. And, finally, knowing when to leave it alone. Stop when it's done.

That happens every time I get behind a guitar, regardless of what I'm saying, 'cause music is freedom and being free is the closest I've ever felt to being spiritual.

If interviews are just interviews or if music is just music, why are we even doing it? You only get so many hours in a lifetime, man.

Distance is temporary, but our love is permanent. This may be the last time I see you, but if you keep me in your heart, together we shall be eternal; if you believe, we shall never part.

Children come running to the truth But you've got to peel the skin to get the fruit And while one's living high another's grieving But what's sweet by morning is bitter by the evening Oh - What's sweet by morning is bitter by the evening.

The world awakens on the run And will soon be earning With hopes of better days to come It's a morning yearning.

If you're gonna live, then live it up.

I'm a living sunset, lightning in my bones.

If I fall, I fall. I'll rise up like anybody else.

But I would never insult the people that love this music and I would never insult the blessing of music in my life and I would never insult myself by playing uninspired music.

My main concern when travelling around the world is finding a place to skateboard!

The lifetime we've left behind with strangers Promises and lies both have their dangers. I just can't be wrong enough and I can't hide for long enough So far away, but I still feel your pain.

I knew a girl, her name was Truth. She was a terrible liar.

Sometimes I feel I know strangers Better than I know my friends Why must a beginning Be the means to an end? The stones from my enemies These wounds will mend But I cannot survive The roses from my friends.

Now that you've grown up, You can finally learn to be a child, We made it to the end of the world, But we'll never make it out alive...

I want to try to be who I am today, not who I was yesterday.

Every single time I step into the studio, I say, 'Can I still do this? Do I still have it? Have I ever had it?' I suppose there's a good amount of self-loathing that goes into any form of artisanship.

Love for me is my North Star. It's the highest form of grace. And I love that there's different levels and different ways of showing it, and different representations of it. Whether it's love shown to a stranger, love to a sibling, your child, your parents, your partner.

I dont know if hell exists, but there sure as hell are some people who dont belong in heaven.

It will make a weak man mighty. it will make a mighty man fall. It will fill your heart and hands or leave you with nothing at all. It's the eyes for the blind and legs for the lame. It is the love for hate and pride for shame. That's the power of the gospel.

I appreciate that something I've done has found a safe place to land.

It just takes a pebble to bring down a good man.

These eyes weren't made for crying, this love wasn't made to waste. These arms weren't made for battle, but to share in your embrace.

Forever always seems to be around when it begins, but forever never seems to be around when it ends

My family owns a music store in Claremont, California, called The Claremont Folk Music Center.

My choice is what I choose to do and if I'm causing no harm it shouldn't bother you. Your choice is who you choose to be and if you're causin' no harm, then your alright with me.

We've all got stardust in our bones.

Of all the states of emotion I've ever been in, music takes me to the strongest state of emotion the quickest, of any other sort of state of mind I've ever been in or been put in by any substance or circumstance, music brings me to an emotional state of being faster than anything I've ever known

Now I love to feel that warm southern rain, Just to hear it fall is the sweetest sounding thing. And to see it fall on your simple country dress It's like heaven to me I must confess.

I'm more afraid of falling than I am of flying high. I'm not as scared of dying as I am of growing old. Every battle has its glory and its consequence.

To go through this life and see it through - what it really is - and not be insane or addicted, is a minor miracle for anyone.

I love being on the road, I love playing.

There's something in everyone only they know.

I can't not put myself in the shoes of every person I pass.

Take my hand when you are worried Take my hand when you're alone Take my hand and let me guide you Take my hand to lead you home.

When you have everything, you have everything to lose.

Just because you have a hit doesn't mean you're good [at music]. Just means you got a hit.

You can't just say 'I love you,' you have to live 'I love you.'

In my life I have been blessed In my life I have been cursed I have lived the best of times I have suffered the worst Do you know which road you're traveling? Do you know where you want to be? With so many roads to travel, There's just one can set you free.

You're definitely a different person at different stages in your life.

We figured you could download live shows for days, so we decided to go for a cream-of-the-crop approach, but not just take the best vocal or the best performances.

You look like gold. I've been fooled before, but now I know I've made the mistake in the past. But now I, now I know the difference from gold and brass.

You can run away from home But you can't run away from your pain I sit here alone There's always someone else to blame.

Music is the last true voice of the human spirit. It can go beyond language, beyond age, and beyond color straight to the mind and heart of all people.

I can change the world With my own two hands Make a better place With my own two hands Make a kinder place.

There's no love like a lost love and no pain like a broken heart.

Hiding is not an option and you're going to step out and you're going to make mistakes. I'm going to look stupid. I'm going to say things I want to retract. I'm going to sing notes I wish I could have back, there's just no getting around the stumble, but if you stumble enough times you're going to fall off the edge and have no choice but to freakin' fly.

Don't let what you have to heal from blind you to how much there is to heal for.

It was a huge deal, a huge musical discovery that became life lessons learned. You can't return from having an experience like that. The Blind Boys are truly the deepest well of American musical heritage you can discover.

They say time will make all this go away. But it's time that has taken my tomorrows and turned them into yesterdays.

You're living life in real time, man, and we' ve got a good amount of work to do for each other. Hiding is not an option and you're going to step out and you're going to make mistakes.

Folk is bare bones music.

The Blind Boys are truly the deepest well of American musical heritage you can discover.

With so many people to love in my life, why do I worry about one?

As a songwriter, I don't rush. I may sit on lyrics for two years before the music hits.

I just want to keep doing what I feel.

We're always moving forward in different places physically and psychologically.

What started as a whisper Slowly turned into a scream Searching for an answer Where the question is unseen I don't know where you came from And I don't know where you've gone Old friends become old strangers Between the darkness and the dawn

The advice I have for new artists is this - write great songs and play them live as often as possible. Get residencies all over town and crush it.

What enables me to believe in anything is hope.

Make sure the fortune that you seek is the fortune that you need.

As long as the songs are strong, I think you can express yourself in any style and have it be soulful and have it be your own voice.

I'm not going to do the Ben Harper house record or the Ben Harper drum 'n' bass record.

Life is short and if you're looking for extension, you had best do well. 'Cause there's good deeds and then there's good intentions. They are as far apart as Heaven and Hell.

There's so much there, there's so much to heal for.

Life's the longest picture you're ever gonna take.

My head works in music, so there's always music there.

Let us burn one from end to end, and pass it over to me my friend.

I've never made a record that didn't sound better than what was in my head - that's sort of my rule.

The good news is at this point as I get older, the load has gotten heavier but my shoulders have gotten wider because I've gotten happier so it's a damn good thing.

I grew up with the Blind Boys' music. My family owns a music store in Claremont, California, called The Claremont Folk Music Center. I grew up with a heavy diet of gospel, folk, and blues because those are kind of the cornerstones of traditional American music.

Sometimes I may be totally arrogant, sometimes I may totally be the most humble guy you've ever met, sometimes I may be in between. But that's life. Who isn't like that? What's the big deal if I had an arrogant moment.

Try it first And you'll see its a blessing And it's not a curse

Time is really for those who really need it. I mean, I deal with it. A lot of people are slaves to the second, minute hand. I can't do that!

I write songs and I sing them from the deepest part of my existence and I hope they connect with the deepest part of yours.

There's no room in my life for religion. Religion is separation and segregation of God. How can you segregate the Almighty?