“One thing I’ve learned is that I’m not the owner of my talent; I’m the manager of it.”

“You can’t give up something you really believe in for financial reasons.”

“There’s always that argument to make – that you’re in better company historically if people don’t understand what you’re doing.”

“Never stop fighting no matter what anyone says. If it’s in your gut, your soul, there’s nothing, no worldly possession that should come between you and your expression.”

“Everything is scary if you look at it. So you just got to live it.”

“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.”

“You don’t have to believe everything you think.”

"Where’s your will to be weird?”

“Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.”

“Imagination creates reality.”

“Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people.”

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

“Find someone who has a life that you want and figure out how they got it. Read books, pick your role models wisely. Find out what they did and do it.”

Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you’re doing. If you’re not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.

“You can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready.”

“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.”

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”

“Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.”

“You build on failure. Use it as a stepping stone and close the door on the past. Don’t try to forget the mistakes, but don’t dwell on it.

“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”

“I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.”

Musicians have done much more than just give us great songs to enjoy. Here are 50 great quotes from musicians to inspire you.

ELLIOTT SMITH

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