59+ James Brown Quotes (Funk, Soulful And Innovative)

James Brown was an American musician, singer, songwriter, dancer and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was known as the "Godfather of Soul". He was the progenitor of funk music and a major figure of the Civil Rights Movement.

Top 10 James Brown Quotes

1. The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing.
2. Sometimes you struggle so hard to feed your family one way, you forget to feed them the other way, with spiritual nourishment. Everybody needs that.
3. I only got a seventh-grade education, but I have a doctorate in funk, and I like to put that to good use
4. My music wasn't written by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach or Schubert. It's written by God and me. They go "a one and a two and up." We start on the downbeat. Bam! And that's where we got them.
5. Got ants in my pants and I need to dance, so big fine mama, come give me a chance.
6. I want to say to you: Help yourself, so you can help someone else.
7. Tell the politicians and the hustlers: live and let live.
8. Don't let nobody take care of your business better than you.
9. I don't know karate, but I know crazy.
10. My expectations of other people, I double them on myself.

James Brown Short Quotes

• You got to live for yourself, yourself and nobody else.
• Our silence is deafening and deadly.
• We can never be like it was at Penn State with Joe Paterno. That was an anomaly in an of itself.
• I'm not going to be joining ZZ Top. You know they can't play my stuff. It's too complicated.
• You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin', just talkin' loud and saying nothing
• You can take care of yourself, and God helps those who help themselves.
• When you touch me, good God.
• For goodness sake, look at those cakes.
• Take those kids and raise them up, teach them how to drink out of a righteous cup.
• I'm twice as old, but I feel good.

James Brown Famous Quotes And Sayings

Don't terrorize. Organize. Don't burn. Give kids a chance to learn . . . The real answer to race problems in this country is education. Not burning and killing. Be ready. Be qualified. Own something. Be somebody. That's Black Power. — James Brown

Thank God that I had the ability to understand that I had a different beat and that I was a drummer. — James Brown

I'm the most sampled and stolen. What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine, too... I got a song about that... But I'm never gonna release it. Don't want a war with the rappers. If it wasn't good, they wouldn't steal it. — James Brown

I'm a ghetto man who made good. I never forgot where I came from and who put me on top - God and Jack The Rapper. — James Brown

I had to tell about my colonic, which expresses the fact why I'm so neat today as opposed to a few years ago. I never knew that the weight made that much difference. — James Brown

I've outdone anyone you can name -- Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Strauss. Irving Berlin, he wrote 1,001 tunes. I wrote 5,500. — James Brown

Some like them fat, some like them tall, some like them short, skinny legs and all. I like them all. — James Brown

I'd rather be Jack be smart, than Jack be quick. Watch out for the man with the big fat licking stick. — James Brown

The hardest thing about being James Brown is I have to live. I don't have no down time. — James Brown

I used to play one job and have 125 pair of shoes on the floor. What was I doing? I couldn't wear but one pair. — James Brown

The white horse of heroin will ride you to hell. — James Brown

My son don't have to say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud. He don't have to be called those crazy names. — James Brown

Papa didn't cuss, he didn't raise a whole lot of fuss. But when we did wrong, Papa beat the hell out of us. — James Brown

I think the best thing about being James Brown is looking at my little son. Hopefully I can make my son a role model to a lot of people. — James Brown

Everybody over there, get on up. Everybody out there, get into it. Everybody right there, get involved. — James Brown

When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. — James Brown

When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it. — James Brown

I've got soul and I'm super bad. — James Brown

This is a revolution of the mind, get your mind together and get away from drugs. — James Brown

I don't really care what people think, ... I just do my own thing. ... I like being loud and letting people know I'm there. — James Brown

What everybody's looking for today, they're looking for escape-ism. — James Brown

You're like a dull knife, it just ain't cutting. — James Brown

It's a Man's Man's Man's World — James Brown

Get on up, stay on the scene, get on up, like a sex machine. — James Brown

As I always said, if people wanted to know who James Brown is, all they have to do is listen to my music. — James Brown

Retire for what? What would I do? I made my name as a person that is helping. I'm like Moses in the music business. — James Brown

Sometimes, you like to let the hair do the talking! — James Brown

If you don't get it the first time, back up and try it again. — James Brown

Money won't change you, but time will take you out. — James Brown

You can't teach others if you are living the same way. — James Brown

I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself) — James Brown

I've been held responsible for taxes I know nothing about. — James Brown

You got to use what you got to get just what you want. — James Brown

Takes a man or a woman to say I'm sorry, and it takes a fool to walk away. — James Brown

It doesn't matter how you travel it, it's the same road. It doesn't get any easier when you get bigger, it gets harder. And it will kill you if you let it. — James Brown

In our advanced technological age, most people deny the possibility of miracles.... Miracles don't happen, we are told, because they contravene the laws of nature and worse, they sound religious! Yet we live and move in a sea of miracle. — James Brown

Music has to breathe and sweat. You have to play it live. — James Brown

Music, it requires more than brawn. It requires a lot of heart. You gotta put love in there. — James Brown

I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know. — James Brown

Life Lessons by James Brown

1. James Brown taught us to never give up and to keep pushing forward no matter what life throws at us. He overcame poverty and racism to become one of the most influential musicians of all time.
2. He also showed us the importance of hard work and dedication, as he worked tirelessly to perfect his craft and make a name for himself.
3. Lastly, James Brown taught us the power of self-belief and the importance of staying true to yourself and your values, no matter the cost.