I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a desire for greatness through achievement rather than seeking fame.
Ray Charles emphasizes that his primary goal was not to attain fame, which often comes with attention and scrutiny, but rather to achieve greatness through his craft and contributions. This highlights a distinction between external recognition and internal fulfillment, suggesting that true success lies in dedication and excellence rather than in public level acclaim.
In practice
During a motivational speech to aspiring musicians, this quote could inspire them to focus on their craft rather than external validation.
I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't supposed to cry, but I think that's wrong. Crying's always been a way for me to get things out which are buried deep, deep down. When I sing, I often cry. Crying is feeling, and feeling is being human. Oh yes, I cry.
To me, music is entertainment - what else can it be? In fact, it's the only language I know of that's universal.
Just because you can't see anything , doesn't mean you should shut your eyes.
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.
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.
The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it.
Black or white good parts are hard to come by. A good actor with a good opportunity has a shot; without the opportunity it doesn't matter how good you are.
In the development business doing something for both women and the environment is the equivalent of holding a royal flush in poker.
It would have been great to have had 10 victories and been in the playoffs and have gone all the way and then said, 'Goodbye,' but it didn't work out that way.
Figure out what you love to do, then figure out how to get paid to do it.
Your real wealth can be measured not by what you have but by who you are.
I was 19 or 20 when The Beatles were at their peak, and I was coming up to the peak of my career, too. I was also the first footballer to have long hair, and that's how I got my nickname 'the Fifth Beatle.'
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