Ray Charles

I can't retire. What would I do? Sit around and watch my toenails grow?

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood.

I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been blind. I might have been a pimp or a dope pusher.

I don't sing to sound like nobody. I sing like me.

Heroin was my only friend. It killed my pain.

I don't sing to sound like nobody. I sing to sound like Ray Charles.

I don't care about color. I care about music.

I'm not a politician. I'm a musician.

I don't give a damn about what people think about me.

I'm not a saint, but I'm not a sinner either.

I'm not a victim. I'm a survivor.