In America we have big issues with education - in impoverished communities especially. I work with Teach For All, and so we're encouraging more people to get into teaching.
John LegendRead
People like Dick Gregory, Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone show me what the definition of an artist is - it isn't just to make art but to speak truth to what's happening, speak beauty into the world, speak love into the world and also... get involved.
Interpretation
What this quote means
An artist's role extends beyond creating art; it involves advocating for truth, beauty, and love within society.
John Legend emphasizes that true artistry lies not only in the creation of aesthetically pleasing works but also in using one's voice and influence to address social issues and foster positive change. Artists like Dick Gregory, Paul Robeson, Harry Belafonte, and Nina Simone exemplify this ethos by integrating their art with activism, challenging injustices, and spreading messages of hope and love throughout the world.
Themes
ArtistTruthActivismBeautyLoveInvolvement
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a cultural event, one might say, 'As John Legend pointed out, being an artist is about using your platform to speak truth and promote love.'
More from John Legend
All quotes →Hip-hop is one of the most free art forms there is. There's so many sounds you can use, so many things you can bring in. You never know, man. I bet years ago people would've never said they would hear me with Rick Ross, and we did four classic songs together.
John LegendRead
For me as a songwriter, I love when other people cover my songs.
John LegendRead
To have the chance to see your music be elevated and to have almost universally positive response to that music, makes me feel better every day. I feel more confident and inspired, and that's fun.
John LegendRead
Why wouldn't I help? What good reason do I have as a human being with power and a sense of empathy and morality, why wouldn't I do something?
John LegendRead
I wrote the song "Show Me" as a prayer to God asking simple, honest questions about life and death and why there is so much suffering in the world. As I grew with the song I realized I shouldn't limit these questions solely to God; I should ask those questions of others and of myself.
John LegendRead
Similar quotes
For myself, I always write about Dublin, because if I can get to the heart of Dublin I can get to the heart of all the cities of the world. In the particular is contained the universal.
James JoyceRead
I like the thought that what we are to do on this earth is embellish it for its greater beauty, so that oncoming generations can look back to the shapes we leave here and get the same thrill that I get in looking back at theirs - at the Parthenon, at Chartres Cathedral.
Philip JohnsonRead
You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.
Gilbert K. ChestertonRead
I write music, it’s performed. After all, my music says it all. It doesn’t need historical and hysterical commentaries. In the long run, any words about music are less important than the music.
Dmitri ShostakovichRead
Try to distill the character of your subject. Understand how he moves, thinks, acts. It's difficult to put into words. Consider each drawing as a problem that did not exist before, and then try to solve that problem to the best of your ability. That i what caricature is all about
Al HirschfeldRead
The best artist has that thought alone Which is contained within the marble shell; The sculptor's hand can only break the spell To free the figures slumbering in the stone.
MichelangeloRead