Any way you slice it, Elvis Presley remains one of the biggest names in rock and roll. Many still consider the man The King. And when you consider all the hits, imitators, and legends born of his career, that moniker makes sense.
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Presley, who was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935 and died in Memphis, Tennessee in 1977 at the young age of 42, is known for some of the biggest American singles to date, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
But what about what Presley thought about the world outside of the lyrics he sang? What were his thoughts on music-making, on love, and life? That’s exactly what we wanted to investigate here. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the 22 best quotes from Presley.
1. “If you let your head get too big, it’ll break your neck.”
2. “Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t going away.”
3. “When your intelligence don’t tell you something ain’t right, your conscience gives you a tap you on the shoulder and says ‘hold on’. If it don’t, you’re a snake.”
4. “When things go wrong, don’t go with them.”
5. “It’s very hard to live up to an image, put it that way.”
6. “Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ’em all together, I guess.”
7. “My fans want my shirt. They can have my shirt. They put it on my back.”
8. “Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can’t help but move to it. That’s what happens to me. I can’t help it.”
9. “It’s more important to try to surround yourself with people who can give you a little happiness.”
10. “Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.”
11. “Computers may out think us one day, but as long as people got feelings we’ll be better than they are.”
12. “Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over.”
13. “I’m not trying to be sexy. It’s just my way of expressing myself when I move around.”
14. “When I was a boy, I always saw myself as a hero in comic books and in movies. I grew up believing this dream.”
15. “I happened to come along in the music business when there was no trend.”
16. “I don’t know anything about music. In my line you don’t have to.”
17. “It’s human nature to gripe, but I’m going ahead and doing the best I can.”
18. “The Lord can give, and the Lord can take away. I might be herding sheep next year.”
19. “I’ve been getting some bad publicity—but you got to expect that.”
20. “Since the beginning, it was just the same. The only difference, the crowds are bigger now.”
21. “More than anything else, I want the folks back at home to think right of me.”
22. “Every time I think that I’m getting old, and gradually going to the grave, something else happens.”
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