Joan Baez Quotes

Singer

Joan Baez is an American folk singer, born on January 9, 1941. She is known for her distinctive voice and active participation in the civil rights movement.

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All People Ifs Song Nonviolence Thinking Peace Knows Writing Violence Voice World Littles Trying Answers Giving Has Beens I Can Men Needs Protest

Famous Joan Baez Quotes

“People say I'm such a pessimist, but I always was. It never stopped me from doing what I had to do. I would say I'm a realist.”

People Pessimist Realist

Author:Joan Baez

“We need to have faith in the people who are giving this movement direction to be smart enough to stay one step ahead of what's coming up next.”

People Needs Giving Enough Next Steps Movement Smart Have Faith Being Smart

Author:Joan Baez

“When I was 16, the guest speaker was King. And I was completely overwhelmed because I had been studying nonviolence, talking about it, reading about it, but here it was happening, here it was people boycotting the buses and people on the streets and taking risks, which I think was the key.”

People Thinking Reading Talking Study Risk Streets Keys Kings Happenings Bus Guests Nonviolence Speakers Overwhelmed Taking Risks

Author:Joan Baez

“Social change really cannot happen unless people are willing to take a risk, and they were. And I was so moved by that, and of course by the way that he spoke, that made a huge dent in my belief system and my spirit.”

People Way Made Happens Spirit Courses Belief Social Risk Willing Huge Moved Spokes Social Change Belief Systems

Author:Joan Baez

“Back then I was still listening to rhythm and blues, and my aunt took me to see a Pete Seeger concert. And it gelled. He made all the sense in the world to me. I got addicted to his albums, and then Belafonte and Odetta - they were the people who seemed to fuse things that were important to me into music. I think Pete the most because he did what he did to the point where he took those enormous risks and then paid for them.”

People Thinking World Made Stills Important Risk Listening Paid Albums Enormous Rhythm Concerts Aunt Fuse Rhythm And Blues

Author:Joan Baez

“I didn't study anything really. I didn't learn out of the books because I couldn't read music very well, so it is what they say it is - you learn from other people. And my cohorts and I would sneak around the coffee shops and hear stuff we wanted to learn, and then you ask whoever was playing it to teach you.”

People Wells Book Wanted Asks Stuff Teach Study Coffee Shops Sneak Coffee Shop

Author:Joan Baez

“I'd hear a tune in my head and the words would come. And then, very suddenly it just stopped. It seemed too stilted to try and learn how to write a song, to go to round robins and to learn things from other people on how to write a song. So I just stopped and did other things.”

People Writing Trying Song Rounds Tunes Robins

Author:Joan Baez

“If it came back I would be thrilled. I would be delighted to write more songs. I need them now because I want to make an album and I have to depend on other people's music, which I've done for years. But still, it'd be really nice to be able to sprinkle it with my own.”

People Ifs Want Needs Writing Years Stills Done Would Be Able Song My Own Nice Depends Albums Delighted Really Nice Sprinkles

Author:Joan Baez

“Somebody else does the rigor and then I listen. I have an assistant, and my manager, and other people who hunt and find and send it to me, and then I just figure out which ones I can do justice to.”

People Doe I Can Can Do Justice Figures Managers Hunts Assistants Rigor

Author:Joan Baez

“Some people don't even notice. "Oh, you sound exactly like you did!" And I say, "OK, if that's what you want to believe, that's fine."”

People Ifs Want Believe Sound Like You Fine What You Want

Author:Joan Baez

“There are good guys, and there are congressional people who are good guys, and I certainly vote in those elections. You know, my fondest dream would be if Obama, when he got out of office, decided he was going to go back and organize on the streets. He'd be the only person I could imagine who could really create a movement similar to what King did, and God knows we need that now.”

People Ifs Knows Needs Persons Dream Would Be Guy Imagine Streets Movement Kings Office Decided Vote Election Organize God Knows Good Guy

Author:Joan Baez

“The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.”

People Kind Peace Friendship Money Relationship Thousand Ten Hardest Memorable Human Relations Famous Inspirational Lasting Relationship

Author:Joan Baez

“If people have to put labels on me, I'd prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, and the third to be folk singer.”

People Ifs Firsts Humans Human Beings Thirds Folks Singers Labels Pacifist

Author:Joan Baez

“I'm lucky to have met so many people who have been involved in peace and who have been peace prize winners.”

People Has Beens Involved Mets Lucky Winner Prize

Author:Joan Baez

People Play Home School Song Four Listening Comfort I Realized Rhythm Chords Mexican Inappropriate Ukulele Rhythm And Blues

Author:Joan Baez

“I've been obsessed with stopping people from blowing each other's brains out since I was ten.”

People Brain Ten Obsessed Stopping

Author:Joan Baez

“I think music has the power to transform people, and in doing so, it has the power to transform situations - some large and some small.”

People Thinking Situation

Author:Joan Baez

“To sing is to love and affirm, to fly and to soar, to coast into the hearts of the people who listen to tell them that life is to live, that love is there, that nothing is a promise, but that beauty exists, and must be hunted for and found.”

People Heart Life Is Found Love Is Promise Coast Soar Hunted

Book:DAYBREAK

Source: DAYBREAK

“I have hope in people, in individuals. Because you don't know what's going to rise from the ruins.”

People Knows Individual Ruins Having Hope

Author:Joan Baez

About the Author

Born: January 9, 1941
Known for: Singer
Quotes: 96

Books & Sources

DAYBREAKRelated source material

And A Voice to Sing With: A MemoirRelated source material

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