James Brown Quotes


"I've been knocked down a lot of times."
- James Brown
"Michael Jackson has a very good heart. He was crying when he was giving me the award, 'cause his mind went back over the early days."
- James Brown
(Related: Heart, Giving, Mind)

"My expectations of other people, I double them on myself."
- James Brown
(Related: People, Expectations)

"You only live once."
- James Brown
"You can't teach others if you are living the same way."
- James Brown
(Related: Living)

"You can take care of yourself, and God helps those who help themselves."
- James Brown
(Related: God, Care, Help)

"When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it."
- James Brown
(Related: People, Church, Joy, Trouble, Trying)

"When God took it, he accepted it; when he brought it back, he accepted it. That's what's happening with me."
- James Brown
(Related: God)

"I'm not going to be joining ZZ Top. You know they can't play my stuff. It's too complicated."
- James Brown
(Related: Play)

"My son don't have to say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud. He don't have to be called those crazy names."
- James Brown
(Related: Son, Names)

"I've been held responsible for taxes I know nothing about."
- James Brown
(Related: Nothing, Taxes)

"I just thank God for all of the blessings."
- James Brown
(Related: God, Blessings)

"I'm kidding about having only a few dollars. I might have a few dollars more."
- James Brown
"I named my new son James Joseph Brown II. I think he's going to be a lot better than I was."
- James Brown
(Related: Son)

"Sometimes I feel like I'm a preacher as well, 'cause I can really get into an audience."
- James Brown
"Sometimes you struggle so hard to feed your family one way, you forget to feed them the other way, with spiritual nourishment. Everybody needs that."
- James Brown
(Related: Family, Forget, Needs, Spiritual, Struggle)

"Thank God for the journey."
- James Brown
(Related: God, Journey)

"The hardest thing about being James Brown is I have to live. I don't have no down time."
- James Brown
(Related: Time, Being)

"The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing."
- James Brown
(Related: Dancing, Problems)

"I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know."
- James Brown
"Like Christ said, love thee one another. I learned to do that, and I learned to respect and be appreciative and thankful for what I had."
- James Brown
(Related: Love, Christ, Respect)

"Hair is the first thing. And teeth the second. Hair and teeth. A man got those two things he's got it all."
- James Brown
(Related: First, Hair, Man)

"I got a wife who likes expensive things, so she takes all the cash."
- James Brown
(Related: Wife)

"I started Michael years ago. I saw him in Gary, Indiana, and we'd have him on the talent shows. He kind of emulated me, and did the best he could."
- James Brown
(Related: Talent, Years)

"I think the best thing about being James Brown is looking at my little son. Hopefully I can make my son a role model to a lot of people."
- James Brown
(Related: Son, People, Being)

"I think what I came through is great, but my son can take it to another level, not having to fight racism. His mother's a Norwegian and I'm mixed up four or five times, so he can face the world."
- James Brown
(Related: Mother, Son, Fight, Racism, World)

"I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God."
- James Brown
(Related: God, Job, Man, Prison, Thinking, Years)

"I want to say to you, Help yourself, so you can help someone else."
- James Brown
(Related: Help, Want)

"I was stillborn. The midwives laid me aside, thought I was really gone. I laid there about an hour, and they picked me back up and tried again, 'cause my body was still warm. The Good Lord brought me back."
- James Brown
(Related: Thought, Body)

"I'd like to cut down on the work a little bit."
- James Brown
(Related: Work)

"I did the thing with bonds, which was about 30 million dollars, and didn't get none of the money on them."
- James Brown
(Related: Money)