I was born with music inside me. That's the only explanation I know of
Interpretation
Music is an intrinsic part of who I am, defining my identity and purpose.
This quote by Ray Charles conveys that his connection to music runs deep within his being, suggesting that it is an essential component of his identity and life experience. It emphasizes the idea that some people are driven by innate passions, and for Charles, that passion is music, which serves as both a personal expression and a means of understanding the world around him.
In practice
Use this quote in a speech about the transformative power of art.
I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't supposed to cry, but I think that's wrong. Crying's always been a way for me to get things out which are buried deep, deep down. When I sing, I often cry. Crying is feeling, and feeling is being human. Oh yes, I cry.
I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
To me, music is entertainment - what else can it be? In fact, it's the only language I know of that's universal.
Just because you can't see anything , doesn't mean you should shut your eyes.
Any artist, when he goes in to record, should have the feeling that any song he records can be a hit. This may sound egotistical, but it makes sense.
When I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.
As long as we are engaged in storytelling that moves the culture forward, it doesn't matter what format it is.
Let me explain something about guitar playing. Everyone's got their own character, and that's the thing that's amazed me about guitar playing since the day I first picked it up. Everyone's approach to what can come out of six strings is different from another person, but it's all valid.
The magic doesn't come from within the director's mind, it comes from within the hearts of the actors.
I would wish my portraits to be of the people, not like them. Not having a look of the sitter, being them.
I had composed songs, I sang, and played the vina. Practising this music I arrived at a stage where I touched the music of the spheres. Then every soul became a musical note, and all life became music. Inspired by it I spoke to the people, and those who were attracted by my words listened to them instead of listening to my songs.
I just wanted a song to sing, and there came a point where I couldn't sing anything...nobo dy else was writing what I wanted to sing. I couldn't find it anywhere. If I could I probably would never have started writing.
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