James Brown Quotes

I don't know karate, but I know ka-razy!

I'm not going to be joining ZZ Top. You know they can't play my stuff. It's too complicated.

I've got soul and I'm super bad.

Everybody over there, get on up. Everybody out there, get into it. Everybody right there, get involved.

I'd rather be Jack be smart, than Jack be quick. Watch out for the man with the big fat licking stick.

The white horse of heroin will ride you to hell.

When you touch me, good God.

Like Christ said, love thee one another. I learned to do that, and I learned to respect and be appreciative and thankful for what I had.

When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy.

Got ants in my pants and I need to dance, so big fine mama, come give me a chance.

Sometimes you struggle so hard to feed your family one way, you forget to feed them the other way, with spiritual nourishment. Everybody needs that.

I did the thing with bonds, which was about 30 million dollars, and didn't get none of the money on them.

Don't let nobody take care of your business better than you.

Retire for what? What would I do? I made my name as a person that is helping. I'm like Moses in the music business.

I don't know karate, but I know crazy.

Sometimes I feel like I'm a preacher as well, 'cause I can really get into an audience.

I named my new son James Joseph Brown II. I think he's going to be a lot better than I was.

My son don't have to say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud. He don't have to be called those crazy names.

In our advanced technological age, most people deny the possibility of miracles.... Miracles don't happen, we are told, because they contravene the laws of nature and worse, they sound religious! Yet we live and move in a sea of miracle.

Takes a man or a woman to say I'm sorry, and it takes a fool to walk away.

I don't really care what people think, ... I just do my own thing. ... I like being loud and letting people know I'm there.

I just thank God for all of the blessings.

I started Michael years ago. I saw him in Gary, Indiana, and we'd have him on the talent shows. He kind of emulated me, and did the best he could.

Sometimes, you like to let the hair do the talking!

Thank God for the journey.

We can never be like it was at Penn State with Joe Paterno. That was an anomaly in an of itself.

What everybody's looking for today, they're looking for escape-ism.

I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself)

Our silence is deafening and deadly.

You're like a dull knife, just ain't cuttin', just talkin' loud and saying nothing

This is a revolution of the mind, get your mind together and get away from drugs.

When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it.

You got to use what you got to get just what you want.

Some like them fat, some like them tall, some like them short, skinny legs and all. I like them all.

You can take care of yourself, and God helps those who help themselves.

I want to say to you: Help yourself, so you can help someone else.

I had to tell about my colonic, which expresses the fact why I'm so neat today as opposed to a few years ago. I never knew that the weight made that much difference.

My music wasn't written by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach or Schubert. It's written by God and me. They go "a one and a two and up." We start on the downbeat. Bam! And that's where we got them.

For goodness sake, look at those cakes.

It's a Man's Man's Man's World

Hair is the first thing. And teeth the second. Hair and teeth. A man got those two things he's got it all.

Money won't change you, but time will take you out.

You can't teach others if you are living the same way.

I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God.

Don't terrorize. Organize. Don't burn. Give kids a chance to learn . . . The real answer to race problems in this country is education. Not burning and killing. Be ready. Be qualified. Own something. Be somebody. That's Black Power.

I only got a seventh-grade education, but I have a doctorate in funk, and I like to put that to good use

I'm kidding about having only a few dollars. I might have a few dollars more.

You got to live for yourself, yourself and nobody else.