Quotes about singing

A collection of quotes on the topic of singing.

„I want to paint the way a bird sings.“

— Claude Monet French impressionist painter 1840 - 1926

Variant: I would like to paint the way a bird sings.
Source: Monet By Himself

Painting, Bird, Way

„No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.“

— W. H. Auden, book The Dyer's Hand

"Notes on Music and Opera", p. 472
The Dyer's Hand, and Other Essays (1962)

Feeling, People

„The condition of mankind is, and always has been, so miserable and depraved that, if anyone were to say to the poet: "For God's sake stop singing and do something useful like putting on the kettle or fetching bandages," what just reason could he give for refusing? But nobody says this. The self-appointed unqualified nurse says: "You are to sing the patient a song which will make him believe that I, and I alone, can cure him. If you can't or won't, I shall confiscate your passport and send you to the mines." And the poor patient in his delirium cries: "Please sing me a song which will give me sweet dreams instead of nightmares. If you succeed, I will give you a penthouse in New York or a ranch in Arizona."“

— W. H. Auden, book The Dyer's Hand

"Writing", p. 27
The Dyer's Hand, and Other Essays (1962)

Dreams, God

„Some guy said to me: Don't you think you're too old to sing rock n' roll?

I said: You'd better check with Mick Jagger.“

— Cher American singer and actress 1946

Thinking, Guy

„Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed.“

— Chuck Palahniuk, book Lullaby

Source: Lullaby (2002), Chapter 3
Context: Old George Orwell got it backward. Big Brother isn't watching. He's singing and dancing. He's pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you're awake. He's making sure you're always distracted. He's making sure you're fully absorbed. He's making sure your imagination withers. Until it's as useful as your appendix. He's making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed, it's worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what's in your mind. With everyone's imagination atrophied, no one will ever be a threat to the world.

Dance, Business

„Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? no. Just as one can never learn how to paint.“

— Pablo Picasso Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer 1881 - 1973

Painting, Learning, Color

„I would not let her work until she was eighteen, and believe me, since the time she was being strolled down the street in her stroller, people were saying, “Can I use her in my commercial? Can I put her in my movie?” “No!” But I did let her take any class that she wanted to take. Singing, acting, dancing…“

— Michelle Phillips Singer, actress 1944

On raising her daughter, Chynna Philips, The Huffington Post (August 25, 2016)

Dance, Time, People

„If you go to the protests now, you will see something you never saw before: hundreds of women. They shout and sing, they even sleep there in tents. This is not just a political revolution, it's a social revolution“

— Tawakkol Karman Yemeni journalist, politician, human rights activist, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient 1979

2010s

Sleep, Women

„He's the one
Who likes all our pretty songs
And he likes to sing along
And he likes to shoot his gun
But he knows not what it means.“

— Kurt Cobain American musician and artist 1967 - 1994

Song lyrics, Nevermind (1991)

„I envision a society without any physical or psychological barriers towards the blind – a barrier-free environment where the blind can walk freely, can travel, can work, think for themselves, and live proud and dignified lives like other citizens. Society thinks that we can only sing sweet songs, only become teachers and telephone operators in the bank. But we can do more. We can dance, we can fire juggle, we can do martial arts, we can become managers and directors of companies. But society is constantly interpreting what we can do and what we can’t. This has to change very soon.“

— Tiffany Brar Indian Social Activist 1988

As quoted in They Say the Blind Should Not Lead the Blind. She Proves Them Wrong. https://www.thebetterindia.com/40485/tiffany-brar-working-for-blind/ (December 22, 2015) by Ranjini Sivaswamy, The Better India.

Dance, Change, Teachers, Thinking

„Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.“

— Emily Dickinson American poet 1830 - 1886

Soul, Hope

„I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.“

— Dr. Seuss American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books 1904 - 1991

Time

„Awake, Ausonian Muse, and sing the vineyard song!“

— Hilaire Belloc writer 1870 - 1953

Heroic Poem in Praise of Wine (1932)
Context: To exalt, enthrone, establish and defend,
To welcome home mankind's mysterious friend
Wine, true begetter of all arts that be;
Wine, privilege of the completely free;
Wine the recorder; wine the sagely strong;
Wine, bright avenger of sly-dealing wrong,
Awake, Ausonian Muse, and sing the vineyard song!