It’s quite possible that Stevie Wonder is the most important person in the history of modern music.
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While that’s of course a big claim and one essentially impossible to argue in full, the idea remains. Wonder has been essential, crucial, and indispensable when it comes to American music and music globally, too.
Who isn’t a fan of Wonder? And how many people throughout his life has he affected? Truly, his impact is immeasurable.
But outside of his acclaimed songs, what did Wonder have to say about life, love, his craft, family, fortune, and the like? Well, that’s the subject of this inquiry here.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the 22 best Stevie Wonder quotes.
1. “Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love, and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.”
2. “Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.”
3. “If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
4. “Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods. So let us celebrate the struggle!”
5. “Time is long but life is short.”
6. “You can’t base your life on other people’s expectations.”
7. “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
8. “What I’m not confused about is the world needing much more love, no hate, no prejudice, no bigotry, and more unity, peace, and understanding. Period.”
9. “Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”
10. “Sometimes I wish I could drive a car, but I’m gonna drive a car one day, so I don’t worry about that.”
11. “I can’t say that I’m always writing in my head but I do spend a lot of time in my head writing or coming up with ideas. And what I do usually is write the music and melody and then, you know, maybe the basic idea. But when I feel that I don’t have a song or just say, God, please give me another song. And I just am quiet and it happens.”
12. “Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with.”
13. “This is like one thing that I’ve tried to do, and I think successfully, that when you realize that nothing really belongs to you, you begin to appreciate having an understanding of just where your head is at, and you feel so much better.”
14. “Eyes lie if you ever look into them for the character of the person.”
15. “I want to take all the pain that I feel and celebrate and turn it around.”
16. “I’m still experimenting.”
17. “Let us come together before we’re annihilated.”
18. “I know there are thousands of images of me.”
19. “When I was a child, kids used to make fun of me because I was blind. But I just became more curious, ‘How can I climb this tree and get an apple for this girl?’ That’s what mattered to me.”
20. “I am not a normal man.”
21. “No one has been a greater advocate for the power of love in this world than I; both in my life and in my music.”
22. “I used to say that if something happened to my mother, I wanted to die with her. That’s because I loved her so much. I want to live so I can carry out the essence of what she has shown me: kindness and goodness.”
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage
