If you want to be a good blues singer, people are going to be down on you, so dress like you're going to the bank to borrow money.
B. B. KingRead
I'm more careful about my hands than about what I eat and most anything else, because my hands have been my living. My hands have been able to help me learn. My hands have taken me around the world. So I'm very proud of my hands.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the deep appreciation and significance of hands in the speaker's life as a musician.
B. B. King's quote reflects the importance of his hands not just as tools for playing music, but as a vital part of his identity and experiences. He highlights that his hands have enabled him to learn, travel, and achieve his passions, emphasizing pride in the physical capabilities that have shaped his life and career in music.
Themes
HandsMusicPrideIdentityExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a music workshop, one could use the quote to emphasize the importance of practicing and valuing one's craft.
More from B. B. King
All quotes →The way I feel today, as long as my health is good and I can handle myself well and people still come to my concerts, still buy my CDs, I'll keep playing until I feel like I can't.
B. B. KingRead
Everything I record, I just try to sound like me and come up with songs that suit what I do and then just go for it. I never know what the public's going to like, anyway.
B. B. KingRead
A guitar is like an old friend that is there with me.
B. B. KingRead
I have not been a good father, but no father has loved his children more. Like my father, I decided the best thing I could do for my kids was work and provide. Fortunately, I've been able to do that. Unfortunately, my work was on the road, and that's meant a life of one-nighters.
B. B. KingRead
People all over the world have problems. And as long as people have problems, the blues can never die.
B. B. KingRead
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