I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a desire for greatness through achievement rather than seeking fame.
Ray Charles emphasizes that his primary goal was not to attain fame, which often comes with attention and scrutiny, but rather to achieve greatness through his craft and contributions. This highlights a distinction between external recognition and internal fulfillment, suggesting that true success lies in dedication and excellence rather than in public level acclaim.
In practice
During a motivational speech to aspiring musicians, this quote could inspire them to focus on their craft rather than external validation.
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.
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.
The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it.
I grew up in a working class family where there was no health insurance. I saw first hand the fracturing of the American dream and the bitterness that comes when there is no hope and a lot of despair. So I wanted to build the company, in a sense, that my father never got a chance to work for.
Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.
If you're going to be a player people will remember, you have to win the Open at St. Andrews.
The world was full of locked doors, and he had to get his hand on every key.
The one requirement for success in our business lives is effort. Either you make the commitment to get results or you don't.
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.