Quotes About Inspiration

In 1988, before I'd written a word for a car magazine or stood in front of a camera, I was a subeditor on 'The Engineer.'

I stood in front of a mountain and was overwhelmed by the beauty and energy; I had goosebumps. I thought, if I could record this feeling, go back home and pour it out again so other people can have that feeling, this I would want to be my work. I knew it was acting - I wanted to be like a messenger or medium.

Billie Jean King always was there for me as a role model. She always fought for equality, and that always stood out as I was coming up.

I have stood on the shoulders of giants like Billie Jean King, Hillary Clinton, my mother - people who have really empowered and influenced my life in an incredible way.

Lisa 'Left-Eye' Lopes in TLC, she stood out a lot with her rap. It was so different, the way she would flow.

I really love Evel Knievel, what he stood for.

Don Martin was the one who really stood out. I really always loved his work. He was such a great artist.

I stood on people's shoulders, so I want to be there for somebody else to take it even further.

I effectively stood on the shoulders of a giant to make a little bit of noise myself. I'm a by-product of Muhammad Ali.

When I was 14 years old, I was a huge fan of the Velvets, the Stooges and the Modern Lovers. They are my three favourite bands. I never get sick of 'em.

I remember Iggy and the Stooges' song 'Search and Destroy' reaching out from my speakers to me like my own personal anthem.

I have been listening to the Stooges' self-titled first album for well over half my life, and it remains one of the most exciting and essential records I have ever had the good fortune to come into contact with.

I never use a piano stool. I always use a drum stool. Because I feel that when you're down there, you're playing in that way you're supposed to. I like to be above it.

My mother says I was two-and-a-half when I started playing. My father was a minister, and when he went to church in the morning, she would put on Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Cole Porter records. I'd crawl up on the piano stool, sit on a phone book and play.

Music is my life, so that journey will never stop.

I just think a hustler's ambition is that I never stop. I start off hustling and said I'll never stop hustling. An ambitious hustler is the one to hustle the hustlers. When I grew up, my heroes were hustlers. Now I'm their hero.

What we should in fact do, is stop allowing philosophers to reflect 'on' things. The philosopher creates, he doesn't reflect.

When you stop having dreams and ideals - well, you might as well stop altogether.

Dancing is bigger than the physical body. Think bigger than that. When you extend your arm, it doesn't stop at the end of your fingers, because you're dancing bigger than that. You're dancing spirit.

Sam Cooke had a huge influence on me. He left the gospel field at one point and went into the secular, and he had this huge hit, 'You Send Me.' Irma, my older sister, and I heard 'You Send Me' on the radio while we were driving through the South one night. We had to stop the car. We got out and danced around the car out on the highway.

I think I will never stop having mentors.

'Simply the Best' has always been one of my favourite songs and a song that I've always thought was far deeper than what you imagine it to be at first listen. I found the lyrics to be really, oddly beautiful, considering you rarely stop and think about them.

It's rare for me to sit in a room with my guitar and feel like I can't stop playing, because it just sounds so good.

I love the South Bank: every era of architecture is there, and you can stop, look, and listen.