James Brown

Godfather of Soul

Modern influential 155 sayings

Sayings by James Brown

I'm the hardest working man in show business.

Various — Stage introduction, popularized by himself
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I'm a showman. I love to entertain. I love to make people happy.

2001 — Interview with The Times
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I don't play no games. I play for real.

Various — Live performance ad-lib
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I'm a man of the people. I'm a man of the streets.

1973 — Interview with The New York Post
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I'm just trying to make a living, trying to do my best.

1980 — Interview with The Washington Post
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I don't believe in segregation. I believe in integration. I believe in love.

1969 — Interview with The Chicago Tribune
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I want to be remembered as a man who cared about people.

2004 — Interview with NPR
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I'm a survivor. I've been through a lot. But I always come back.

1991 — Interview with Billboard
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I'm a good man. I'm a loving man. I'm a giving man.

1987 — Interview with Esquire
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I'm not trying to be anybody else. I'm just trying to be James Brown.

1994 — Interview with The Independent
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I'm the Godfather of Soul. I'm the architect of funk. I'm the inventor of hip-hop.

1999 — Interview with The Source
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I love to dance. I love to sing. I love to perform.

2000 — Interview with The Boston Globe
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I'm a revolutionary. I'm a rebel. I'm a nonconformist.

1997 — Interview with Mojo Magazine
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I'm not a saint. I'm a sinner. But I'm a good sinner.

1996 — Interview with Vanity Fair
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I'm a living legend. I'm a living icon. I'm a living myth.

1998 — Interview with Q Magazine
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I'm a work of art. I'm a masterpiece. I'm a classic.

2000 — Interview with Rolling Stone
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I'm a gift from God. I'm a blessing from heaven. I'm a miracle from above.

2003 — Interview with The Daily Telegraph
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I'm a one-of-a-kind. I'm a original. I'm a trendsetter.

2005 — Interview with The Los Angeles Times
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I'm a legend in my own time. I'm a legend in my own right. I'm a legend forever.

2006 — Interview with The Independent
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I'm a force of nature. I'm a force to be reckoned with. I'm a force to be admired.

2006 — Interview with The Guardian
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