Quotes About Influence

More than anybody else I'd like to thank Count Basie for teaching me how to perform.

We have to thank the members of the Romantic movement for the sober colours of suits. It was their love of the Gothic that put us in grey and black but the suit stuck.

When I first started swinging a bat, I swung righty. So one time, my dad came home, and he wanted to see my batting stance. So I showed him. He says, 'You don't hit right-handed. You hit left-handed.' At that age I didn't even really think about it. Just like 'all right,' and I switched hands. He said I'd thank him later.

Coach Saban did his best job to make me a better player and a better person. I thank him for that.

Of course, I have Gene Roddenberry to thank for the creation of Barclay.

Carrot Top... I gave him advice once and he ran with it. He should thank me.

I heard Thackeray thank Heaven for the purity of Dickens. I thanked Heaven for the purity of a greater than Dickens - Thackeray himself.

I believe this with all my heart: The greatest coach of all time in my eyes is my mom. She's instilled in me a toughness and a perseverance and just a never-quit mentality, and I thank her every day for providing me, for what she sacrificed her life for.

My greatest influence is Jimi Hendrix, and if he's been reincarnated, or if he's looking down, sideways, or looking up, I just wanted to tell him that I love him and thank him for opening doors for me. I just wanted to make it beautiful for him.

My lifestyle, my life, everything has changed because of this show. Has it made me look different? Yes, it's changed everything for me, everything from this show. And I cannot thank every single part of 'Sons of Anarchy' enough.

It is one of the great ironies of the American war in Iraq - was that the guys who really got the most out of it were the Iranians. And they have us to thank for that. Yeah, I mean we basically put Maliki in power in 2006, but he has been - he's really not a friend of the United States. He's a friend of the Iranian regime.

Since my father was a superstar, without me knowing it, I became a child star, as my father's entire fan base liked me, and I can't thank my father enough for this, as it was so effortless.

Maybe if I was born in Kosovo, I might not be where I am now, so I need to thank Switzerland, of course, because I went to school there, learnt to play football there, and started my career there.

I thank God for all the independent hard rock that I grew up with.

During my last days at Florida State, 65 to 70 percent of my boys did not have a daddy at home. They're raised by mommas. Thank God for them mommas, or grandmommas. Or big sister or aunt.

Thank God for some Republican control of one branch of the government.

I felt like, 'How do I fit in'? I'm battling. But then I never fit in!'... I thank God for somebody like Pharrell who stayed in my ear. For him, at that time, 'Happy' was everywhere; he didn't have to share anything with me.

Thank God we don't know a lot about Shakespeare or Moses or Homer or Lautreamont. These are the best guys we got, and their art is powerful because they're mysterious.

I met Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I'm not really star struck by actors, but musicians, that's when I get star struck. Chad Smith is my number one drum influence, so that was a real mind-blow. I spoke to him - proper English, thank God!

Today's fathers are having a rough go being kindly portrayed in the media. Thank God, we do we have President Barack Obama for a national model. He both dotes on and takes a firm loving hand to our first-family daughters.

I'm just glad that I get to talk about the superstar, my mentor - Marcus Mariota. That's who I try to be like. He's been a big inspiration to me and my family. I couldn't thank God more for him being bestowed into my life.

Before we came along, it would be like, 'Yes, thank God, we have the U.S. as our first fight.' Now it's like, 'Uh-oh, we have a Lopez in our division.'

I thank God every night for David Stern.

Give it up for Ray Charles and his beautiful legacy. And thank you, Ray Charles, for living.