The 15 Best Carole King Quotes

Updated:

March 15, 2022 9:06 am

Carole King is one of those artists who is beloved by generations of fans. Whether you appreciate her work as a solo artist, as a writer and collaborator with artists like James Taylor, or her work singing famed kids’ songs like “Really Rosie,” King is practically thought of as divine.

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It’s the kind of relationship with an audience that you can’t fake. Most likely, in half the homes across the United States, there is something on a shelf that has something to do with King and her lengthy creative legacy.

It’s for these facts that we thought we’d dive into what the now-80-year-old New York City-born King had to say about the world at large. What are her thoughts of life, love, and everything in between? That’s exactly what we’ll explore here.

So, without further ado, let’s look into the best 15 Carole King quotes.

1. “Everybody understands friendship, and friendship is different than love—it’s a different kind of love. Friendship has more freedom, more latitude. You don’t expect your friend to be as you think your friend should be; you expect your friend just to love you as a friend.”

2. “In my career, I have never felt that my being a woman was an obstacle or an advantage. I guess I’ve been oblivious.”

3. “I think Madonna has a great deal of intelligence and capability. I have a lot of respect for her. She’s taken her career and maximized it.”

4. “All I needed to do was sing with conviction, speaking my truth from the heart, honestly and straightforwardly, and to offer my words, ideas and music to the audience as if it were one collective friend that I’d known for a very long time.”

5. “Had my grandparents not emigrated when they did, I might have been born Jewish in Eastern Europe during World War II, or I might not have been born at all. Instead, I was born in 1942 in New York City.”

6. “Sometimes I get a lyric, and the lyric, you know, comes off the page, and goes into my brain and comes out with a melody. Other times, I may create a melody first.”

7. “My creativity is an entity unto its own.”

8. “My one area of vulnerability was I didn’t know how to have a healthy relationship with a man.”

9. “I just sort of try to be a good person; try to write music that lifts people and makes me feel good to sing.”

10. “I listen to both oldies and contemporary stations. I enjoy listening to current stuff because there’s an energy to it that’s inspiring.”

11. “When I wake up every morning, I smile and say, ‘Thank you.’ Because out of my window I can see the mountains, then go hiking with my dog and share her bounding joy in the world.”

12. “My name at birth was Carol Joan Klein. It would take me five decades to appreciate my surname and the history that came with it. Along the way, I would add an ‘e’ to Carol and acquire several more surnames.”

13. “I’ve had a remarkable life. I seem to be in such good places at the right time. You know, if you were to ask me to sum my life up in one word, gratitude.”

14. “I only wanted to be a songwriter. I never wanted to be a singer. And I never wanted to be famous.”

15. “I write heavily under the influence of James Taylor.”

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