For those of you who do not know this, I am a big Doors fan- I have been since I first heard them as a kid back in the 70’s. Luckily my parents were into music that I loved (70’s rock) so that made long car trips and hanging around the house on the weekends somewhat bearable 
Although I have a wide range of musical interests today (I even love Celtic music like mediaevil babies) The Doors has truly been timeless to me, I still love to listen to their music today.
I was looking for authenticity quotes and ran across these by Jim Morrison lead singer of The Doors ….
“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on and individual level. It’s got to happen inside first. You can take away a man’s political freedom and you won’t hurt him- unless you take away his freedom to feel. That can destroy him. That kind of freedom can’t be granted. Nobody can win it for you.”
“That’s what real love amounts to- letting a person be what he really is. Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending- performing. You get to love your pretense. It’s true, we’re locked in an image, an act-”
“I like people who shake other people up and make them feel uncomfortable.”
“The most loving parents and relatives commit murder with smiles on their faces. They force us to destroy the person we really are: a subtle kind of murder.”
WOW!
Does anyone else have a famous artist they admire, and when you hear their insights you are amazed? I think Jim Morrison’s statements have a lot to do with why his music was so life changing and inspiring for others during that time- a time when conformity was expected, even more so than today. I wonder how many people he helped to set free (to be authentic) because he expressed his true feelings and creativity.
Like some other artists and musicians he did have his challenges ( he died at the young age of 27- he was said to be depressed and taking drugs at the time) but I choose to remember his wonderful gifts he was a poet, singer, writer, songwriter, film director, and amazing charismatic front man for The Doors.
We all want freedom, but sometimes fear gets in the way doesn’t it!
Do you have any favorite quotes from artists that you love?
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Music is such a subtle part of our every day life, that we sometimes don’t realize the influence it truly has on us! One of my favorite artists has always been Martina McBride. Although she doesn’t write her own lyrics, one interview I watched by her , she stated that she only will take on a song that touches her heart in some way. She has to FEEL tha song– and it shows through in her work. I had the opportunity to see her many years ago in a small opera house locally– and she was absolutely incredible.
A couple quotes that show her “authentic self” in my eyes:
“A big part of who I am is just the way I was raised. Nobody is better than anyone else, and if you really work hard, you might get lucky and get what you want.”
~Martina McBride~
“I’m definitely a person who likes to control my own destiny. That’s hard to do in this business because there are many creative people with great ideas and years of experience giving you advice, but what is right for one artist isn’t always best for another. Knowing what’s best for you and being willing to stand up and assert that is really a strong trait in this business.”
~Martina Mcbride~
“The real heroes are the ones working at the shelters every day and the women who find the courage to better their lives for themselves and their children. The woman working at the shelter doesn’t have the opportunity to get in front of a million people and raise awareness. I’m the one that can do that for her.”
~Martina McBride~
I think, even though she is talking about her career, all these can be true of our lives every day!
Wow! Those are awesome quotes Angela! I agree, they are ones we can apply to everyday life. I love them all, but I especially like the one about the ‘real heroes’ so true.
Sometimes your true values reflect back to you when you look at the people you truly admire:)
Angie’s last blog post..0711ddebe7fd2b92.jpg
Great post, Angie! I love the quotes you’ve included and from reading my site I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’m a BIG fan of quotes. All of my favorites are showcased on my site all the time and I love to read new quotes that I haven’t read before (like these) so thanks!
Hi Angie,
The Doors…a group I listened much to in high school and college…and still today on occasion. Good stuff!
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” ~ Jimi Hendrix
Lance’s last blog post..There Is Greatness Within
Hi there,
I love it when quotes really talk to us because they say exactly what we feel and may have trouble finding words for ourselves. And the more you share this kind of information, the more you will notice that we are all basically in the same boat: learning as we go along, finding things out by mistakes, learning from others etc. Artists are no different. They may seem so ‘big’ in everything from where we stand, but they are just humans too. And probably more vulnerable because they stand in the spotlight.
Thanks for sharing those quotes.
M
Hi Positively present. I am glad you liked the quotes! Love yours on your site too!
Hi Lance, Love your jimi hendrix quote- Love his music too (no surprise) voodoo child is one of my favorites:)
Hi mimi, I agree, I have always felt we are all human, maybe this is why I have always felt comfortable around others without judging by labels:) I like to look past all that and see how the person really feels…. the authentic feelings that make us individual.
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The most important lesson Jim Morrison taught me was that I canNOT petition the Lord with prayer! No, that probably wasn’t it. But seriously, I was glad to see him articulate what seemed to be his philosophy of life in these quotes — I never knew he said these things before.
Hi Chris, thank you for your insight! I was glad to find these quotes as well:)
I so much love the song “Light My Fire”. It is such a fun song and I like to sing along with it too.
The quotes you selected were really powerful and awesome. I think people who become artists usually have more insight than people realize. I always have been a fan of reading biographies because I always learned something.
To create whether it is a song or a blog post requires insight and I think that is why music is so powerful. It puts music to emotions we all have dealt with on some level.
Yay for being authentic….wouldn’t want it any other way!
Hi Nadia! Thank you so much for your insights!
I also love to read memoirs and biographies – the one you mentioned on your blog about Micheal J Fox is my next read! I agree we always learn something.
Music is so healing on many different levels- it touches our soul in many ways.
I think that expression of our creative gifts has amazing and profound effects on others- especially when it is done in a purely authentic way.
“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got”
Janis Joplin
Thanks Karen, wonderful quote, I love Janis as well:)