Isaac Hayes Quotations

If you enjoy the fragrance of a rose, you must accept the thorns which it bears.

There's always hurdles. So I just keep moving, just constantly redefining myself. That's how you stay in the race.

I've been around a long time, and when I was at the top of the hill, I was very ahead of my time! Evidence of that is that my music is still current today - you know, rappers sample it all the time. So, rather than compromise my artistic integrity, I concentrated on movies.

Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honoured.

A certain administration which I won't call by name took the arts out of the schools, and that left the brothers out on the street with nothing, so they went to the turntables and started rhyming. Then they had a way to express themselves, and that's the birth of hip-hop.

I think the kids today need to hear more about morals and values.

There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins. Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.

There's something about live players that you cannot get with machines: With live musicians, you can strike a groove, you can feed off each other... And, even though somebody might make a slight mistake, it's all real!

I was a pop freak. I love music. Of course, I knew soul because I grew up in it. Writing it and everything. I love soul. But I love a tune that has some meat in it. Something I could hang my hat on. Because music is universal. Therefore, I felt no boundaries.

I first heard African drum rhythms and chants at the movies. Then, when I had the opportunity to go to Africa and visit the villages, I heard the real, raw, true rhythms and realised the origins of the old Negro spirituals I grew up with in the South.

Self-expression is always a right, but its still not there to be abused.

The rappers have gone in and created a lot of hit music based upon my influence. And theyll tell you if you ask.

Guys in slavery sang praises to the Lord to deliver them from bondage.

Have you ever wondered why young people take to music like fish to water? Maybe it's because music is fun. Plan and simple. It opens up their minds to dream great dreams about where they can go and what they can do when they get older.

I influence people - hopefully on the positive side.

Know the business, learn the business, own something.

I used to stand in front of the mic and cry.

All the time I was writing hit songs with my partner David Porter, I always had the yen to perform. Sure did. And when the opportunity came, I took it. The first album, 'Presenting Isaac Hayes,' didn't do so hot, but it was like a prelude for what was to come.

Just, you know, you can't put bread in a cold oven. You know, you've got to take your time. You've got to heat it up. So that's what, that's what I like to do with my music. I like to build it, and build it into a maddening, exciting crescendo.

Elvis was a giant and influenced everyone in the business.

I'd always loved strings. When I was in high school and saw strings playing on stage, an orchestra or a symphony, all those bows moving at the same time... wow.

Ultimate Isaac Hayes ? Can You Dig It?

I'd been hearing things in my head for a long time, but I'd been restricted, ... Now I did what I felt. ... When I had the opportunity to do my own thing, that's when I thought about strings and different chords.

He was cool before it was cool to be cool, 'American Masters' creator and executive producer Susan Lacy stated. ?He left us a storehouse of classics, pure poetry that will live forever because they are, quite simply, among the greatest songs ever sung.

Thanks for saving me from the drive Shaft!

It's a very exciting and validating experience to be recognized ... along with all those giants of the music business.

It was just one of those things in history that you did the right thing at the right time.

I'm delighted to be a part of this national celebration. Rock 'n' roll began in Memphis, and the city continues to be a focal point of enormous musical creativity today.

I like to see how people responded, ... I liked that. It was a big validation.

I was going through some emotional turmoil. You can tell by the tunes on the album that I was going through a break-up of my marriage. It was the only way I could express myself.

Then, when I had the opportunity to go to Africa and visit the villages, I heard the real, raw, true rhythms and realised the origins of the old Negro spirituals I grew up with in the South.

As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.

I always keep my head down, working, doing things, moving forward. That's what I've done all my life. Then you stop and realize what you've done.

I love soul. But I love a tune that has some meat in it. Something I could hang my hat on. Because music is universal.

When my agent told me he had a voice-over job I thought it was a Disney thing.

Don't slip into the traps, and don't forget about your 'hood, the kids in the 'hood. Remember, you're disposable, so take advantage while you can.

I don't sit back and count up what I've done. There's just always something else to do. There's always a challenge ahead.

At the end of the day, we are responsible for our own lives. If anything happens to us, don't blame somebody else. Backtrack and look at what you did to contribute to that. You also contribute to your successes. Once you learn that, you're on your way.

I felt what I had to say musically could not be said in two minutes and thirty seconds, ... So I did my thing. If it was a hit, great. But I just did what I wanted creatively.