Bobby McFerrin famous quotes

The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Music #Heart #Light

The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it's the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it laughs, it squeals, it barks, it shouts it whispers, There is no other instrument that can do that. We're born with it.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Voice #Laughing #Soul

Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Song #Worry #Want

Sometimes mistakes are the best thing that can happen, because they might lift you...out of your complacency, and open your mind up to a whole other area that you wouldn't have gone to intentionally.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Mistake #Growth #Mind

To me, it's our job as artists. You must bring joy.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Jobs #Artist #Joy

In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double. Don't worry. Be happy.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Positive Thinking #Worry #Trouble

This is what I want everyone to experience at the end of my concert... everyone has this sense of rejoicing. I don't want them to be blown away by what I do, I want them to have this sense of real, real joy from the depths of their being. Because I think when you take them to that place, then you open up a place where grace can come in.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Real #Thinking #Joy

Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled adults
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Life #Children #Responsibility

Musicians are the architects of heaven.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Heaven #Musician #Architect

I think we listen to music because we want to be changed. Music is not solely for our entertainment. Music has such tremendous power to bring joy. To me, that's our job as artists. Not happiness, not a groove, whatever. You must bring joy. I think that's the assignment. I have no doubt about it.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Jobs #Thinking #Artist

I'd actually been making my living as an organist with bands since I was probably 15 or 16 years old, and then as a senior in high school I put together a jazz quintet called The Bobby Mack Jazz Quintet.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Senior #School #Years

I have a lot of albums yet to do.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Music #Albums

I couldn't do anything without faith. I couldn't open up my eyes, I couldn't walk, I couldn't speak, I couldn't sing.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Eye #Speak #Walks

If I can bring joy into the world, then I'll be successful.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Happiness #Successful #Joy

Miles Davis turned his back to the audience when he came out on stage, and he offended people. But, he wasn't there to entertain; he was all about the music. I kind of do that.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#People #Host #Kind

Then I came up with this crazy idea just to walk out on the stage with no band at all and just start singing whatever came to mind. I actually fought the idea for a while because it seemed almost too radical, but it became obvious what I was supposed to be doing.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Crazy #Ideas #Mind

When you worry your face will frown, that will bring everybody down, so don't worry BE HAPPY!:)
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Worry #Faces #Your Face

I like a very dark house, just black. I sit there and just think. Once I'm still and quiet inside, I'll begin. It's very personal; it has to be. One song may be Bach, the next blues, a song from TV, or a nursery rhyme or jazz piece.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Song #Dark #Thinking

My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Parent #Musical #Influence

Seriously though, my father was the first African American to sign a contract with the Metropolitan Opera so I grew up with classical music and jazz in the home all the time.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Father #Home #African American

I don't want anything to get in the way of me and my singing. I want my mind as clear as possible.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Mind #Singing #Want

My father was a very disciplined singer who worked hard at his craft, and I was around that growing up.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Growing Up #Father #Crafts

I did the one concert, and I was not bitten by the conducting bug, and I thought I was done, but then the phone started to ring, and gradually, over time, I started conducting more and more. Now a third of my performances are with orchestras.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Phones #Bugs #Done

When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about anything. I don't have to worry about anything because I'm not responsible for anything except just opening my mouth and making sure music comes out.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Thinking #Worry #Mouths

Improvisation is the courage to move from one note to the next.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Moving #Next #Notes

The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Instruments #Performing #Audience

I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Music #Color #Use

I want to write a book of poetry, as well as children's stories.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Children #Book #Writing

I played piano as a kid; I still play a little bit.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Kids #Play #Piano

I grew up in a time when being a musician and learning to be a musician was actually very wonderful.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Musician #Wonderful #Grew Up

I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Writing #Chance #Performing

But, if there's any aspect of my career that needs attention, it's writing.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Writing #Careers #Needs

Music is so powerful, it needs to be used for some kind of redeeming work. To lift peoples spirits, to lift their souls.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Powerful #Soul #Needs

I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Song #Ukulele #Piano

I bury my mind in my book, the Bible. Every morning it's the first thing that I do. I've been doing it for years and years. So I want to come back here [to Israel] to see the places that I read about every day. It's very important to my faith to feed [my] spirit in Israel.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Morning #Book #Israel

It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send off to college as soon as possible.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Song #Children #College

Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was living in San Francisco at the time and I started attending some of the concerts and then simply dropping hints.
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Birthday #San Francisco #Giving

Here's a little song I wrote You might want to sing it note for note Don't worry, be happy In every life we have some trouble But when you worry you make it double Don't worry, be happy Don't worry, be happy now
-- Bobby McFerrin

#Song #Worry #Want