166 Quotes by Ray Charles

Dreams, if they’re any good, are always a little bit crazy.

I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won’t lay, a big stack of bills that gets bigger each day.

You got to set your mind right and the rest will come to you naturally. No restrictions, no hang-ups, no stupid rules, no formalities, no forbidden fruit – just everyone getting and giving as much as he and she can.

There’s such a thing as too much happiness and sadness. What I’m after is contentment.

Do it right or don’t do it at all. That comes from my mom. If there’s something I want to do, I’m one of those people that won’t be satisfied until I get it done. If I’m trying to sing something and I can’t get it, I’m going to keep at it until I get where I want it.

Affluence separates people. Poverty knits ’em together. You got some sugar and I don’t; I borrow some of yours. Next month you might not have any flour; well, I’ll give you some of mine.

My version of ‘Georgia’ became the state song of Georgia. That was a big thing for me, man. It really touched me. Here is a state that used to lynch people like me suddenly declaring my version of a song as its state song. That is touching.

I don’t think any of us really knows why we’re here. But I think we’re supposed to believe we’re here for a purpose.

When I was going blind, I didn’t turn to God. It didn’t seem to me then – and it doesn’t seem to me now – that those items were His concern. Early on, I figured I better begin to learn how to count on myself, instead of counting on supernatural forces.