Bob Dylan
Nobel laureate, transformed popular song into literature
Most quoted
"Sometimes you say things in songs even if there's a small chance of them being true. And sometimes you say things that have nothing to do with the truth of what you want to say and sometimes you say things that everyone knows to be true."
— from Interview
"Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall. For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled. The battle outside ragin' will soon shake your windows and rattle your walls."
— from Song (The Times They Are a-Changin'), 1963
"Some people feel that if you just want to be a rock 'n' roll singer or something, then you should go for it. But I think that if you're not, then you should be honest about it."
— from Interview, 1965
All quotes by Bob Dylan (310)
You can never be free if you're afraid to be yourself.
I don't think I'm a spokesman for any generation.
I'm just a song and dance man.
I'm not trying to be a leader. I'm just trying to write songs.
The world is a spinning ball. You can't stop it.
It's not a game, it's a way of life.
I don't write songs for people to analyze. I write them for people to sing.
I'm just a poet, and I'm just a singer.
I don't carry a gun, but I carry a guitar.
I'm not interested in being a star. I'm interested in being a human being.
I don't want to be a symbol. I want to be a man.
I'm not a prophet. I'm just a guy who writes songs.
I don't have any messages. I just have songs.
I'm not a folk singer. I'm a song and dance man.
I'm not a protest singer. I'm a singer who protests.
I'm not a political singer. I'm a singer who sings about politics.
I'm not a religious singer. I'm a singer who sings about religion.
I'm not a philosopher. I'm a singer who sings about philosophy.
I'm not a teacher. I'm a singer who teaches.
I'm not a preacher. I'm a singer who preaches.
Contemporaries of Bob Dylan
Other Musics born within 50 years of Bob Dylan (1941).