Record companies would rather you stay dumb, not even think of it as a business, so they can either rip you off or get you out of the way in five years to make way for the new groups.

The desired effect is what you get when you improve your interplanetary funksmanship.

Whoever controls the flow of information dictates our perceptions and perspectives; whoever controls the news shapes our destiny.

Absorb youth and you will be absorbed by youth. Take on new influences without fear and you need not fear what is new. Change the people around you by changing the people around you.

Think! It ain't illegal 'yet.'

I used to skip school to go there when I was growing up in Newark, ... I saw the Flamingos, the Heartbeats, Jackie Wilson, Chuck Jackson.

Look both ways before you cross my mind.

Style is whatever you want to do, if you can do it with confidence.

Funk 'em, just to see the look on their face.

Funk is fun. And it's also a state of mind, ... But it's all the ramifications of that state of mind. Once you've done the best you can, funk it!

Why must I feel like that? Why must I chase the cat?

Sometimes, when I couldn’t afford to pay the utility bill at the end of the month, I was forced to read by the light of the stories themselves.

Every morning I read the obituaries. If it ain't there I make myself a cup of tea and carry on like I have the past century or so.

There comes an hour when protest no longer suffices

Attention is a main asset in marketing.

When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic.

Wine is an appropriate article for mankind, both for the healthy body and for the ailing man.

Misfortune is no excuse for cruelty.

You never know a line is crooked unless you have a straight one to put next to it.

I want your mind. Your strength. I want to be worth your time.