Like books and black lives - albums still matter. Tonight and always.
Sometimes ideas are coming so fast that I have to stop doing one song to get another. But I don't forget the first one. If it works, it will always be there. It's like the truth: it will find you and lift you up. And if it ain't right, it will dissolve like sand on the beach.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Ideas can come quickly and may need to be prioritized; true ideas will endure and uplift you.
This quote by Prince emphasizes the nature of creativity and the flow of ideas. He suggests that when inspiration strikes, it can be overwhelming, often leading one to momentarily pause one project for another. Yet, he reassures that genuine ideas will remain memorable and impactful, much like the truth, whereas insubstantial ideas will fade away, similar to how sand washes away on a beach. This reflects on the importance of recognizing and trusting in the ideas that hold true significance.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about the creative process during a music festival.
More from Prince
All quotes →Oh, I love critics. Because they love me. It's not a joke. They care.
Young people have decided they like to listen to music in a certain way, through ear buds, and that's fine with me as long as it doesn't bother them that they're not hearing 90 percent of the music that way.
Like books and black lives, albums still matter.
I used to be more involved with every aspect of everything onstage. I'm way more relaxed now. It feels like anything can happen.
The hardest thing with musicians is getting them not to play.
Similar quotes
After so many years, I've learned that being creative is a full-time job with its own daily patterns. That's why writers, for example, like to establish routines for themselves.
Ad agencies do all kinds of market research that ask people what they think they want, and instead, you should be creating things that you want. If you do something and you get it, the rest of the world will get it, too. Trust your own instincts, your own intellect, and your own sense of humor.
The enemy of creativity... is fear. We're all born creative, it takes a little while to become afraid. A surprising insight: an enemy of fear is creativity. Acting in a creative way generates action, and action persuades the fear to lighten up.
It is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake.
Everything that's created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.
Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.