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
When people treat you mean, you dislike them for that, but not because of their person, who they are. I was born and raised in a segregated society, but when I left there, I had nobody I disliked other than the people that'd mistreated me, and that only lasted for as long as they were mistreating me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dislike for someone often stems from their actions rather than their character.
B. B. King's quote reflects on the nature of human relationships, emphasizing that negative feelings towards individuals often arise from their treatment of us rather than intrinsic flaws in their character. He shares his personal experience of growing up in a segregated society, highlighting how his dislike was directed solely at those who mistreated him. Once removed from mistreatment, he found that he held no animosity towards others, pointing to the temporary nature of resentment that arises from negative actions rather than enduring disdain for individuals themselves.
Themes
TreatmentRelationshipsResentmentForgivenessSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about handling negative interactions with others.
More from B. B. King
All quotes βThe 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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