You must let suffering speak, if you want to hear the truth

We must never so thoroughly disrespect someone that they are beyond the pale and, therefore, have no possibility of being changed.

If the Kingdom of God is in you, you should leave a little bit of heaven wherever you go.

You don't begin by dehumanizing those who are dehumanizing you, because it contributes to the cycle of dehumanization in the world.

For me, music is in no way ornamental or decorative, it's constitutive of who I am. And that's why, when I say I'm a blues man, that's a very serious vocation - to muster the courage to find your own unique voice, to forge your distinctive style in the world, to leave your imprint in the sands of time in such a way that your singularity, your individuality, remains something that people have to come to terms with.

I must feel the fire of my soul so my intellectual blues can set others on fire.

The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.