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Michael Franti

Michael Franti Quotes

Poet

Michael Franti, born on April 21, 1966, is an American poet, musician, and social activist. His poetry and music are known for their positive messages, advocacy for social justice, and equality, resonating with a wide audience.

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All People World Feels Knows Thinking Heart Way Different Ifs Soul

Famous Michael Franti Quotes

“You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace. Power to the peaceful.”

Author:Michael Franti

“We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can't bomb it into peace.”

World Peace Pieces Bombs Hydrogen Bomb

Author:Michael Franti

“All the freaky people make the beauty of the world.”

People World Freak Freaky Beauty Of The World

Author:Michael Franti

“Every single soul is a poem.”

Soul Poetry Single Relationship

Author:Michael Franti

“During my travels in Iraq, Israel, Gaza, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Europe and all over the United States, I have seen and heard the voices of people who want change. They want the stabilization of the economy, education and healthcare for all, renewable energy and an environmental vision with an eye on generations to come.”

People Want States Eye Energy Voice United Vision United States Economy Generations Heard Europe Environmental Iraq Israel Japan Healthcare Indonesia Brazil Renewable Energy Gaza

Author:Michael Franti

“I think my soul is intact, but my methods of reaching people are completely different.”

People Thinking Different Soul Method My Soul Reaching

Author:Michael Franti

“I drive a hybrid. It's a Ford Escape. That's my only car.”

Author:Michael Franti

“Investing now in safe-guarding people by helping them to adapt to climate change, will help save money and lives while building resilience.”

People Helping Building Safe Climate Climate Change Investing Resilience Saving Money Guarding

Author:Michael Franti

“San Francisco has always been a haven for misfits and weirdos. I'm both of those, which is why I came here.”

Havens San Francisco Weirdo Misfits

Author:Michael Franti

“The U.S. has historically been the world's largest contributor to climate change.”

World Climate Climate Change Contributors

Author:Michael Franti

“When I first started out, I thought it was enough to make an angry song that pointed out the problems of the world.”

World Firsts Enough Problem Song Angry

Author:Michael Franti

“Bonnaroo has kind of become the granddaddy of all American festivals. The thing I love about it most is that it wasn't born out of picking the top ten bands off the Billboard chart and creating a festival around it.”

Kind Born Band Ten Creating Festivals Things I Love Billboards Granddaddy

Author:Michael Franti

“Collectively, we activists are essential to advancing U.S. policy to help empower marginalized people to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty for good.”

People Helping Community Poverty Policy Essentials Lifts Empowering Activist Advancing Marginalized

Author:Michael Franti

“I went to Iraq because I wanted to see what one year of occupation had done to Iraqi society, and I went to the West Bank and Gaza Strip because I wanted to see what three generations of occupation had done to Palestinian society. I found a lot more hopelessness and despair in Palestine.”

Years Done Wanted Three Found Generations Despair West Iraq Occupation Palestinian Hopelessness Palestine Gaza Three Generations Gaza Strip

Author:Michael Franti

“I went to the University of San Francisco on an athletic scholarship. I didn't study in high school. I was just there to get by and to play basketball. But a funny thing happened to me when I got to college. I got challenged by the work and the professors.”

Play School Study Happened College Basketball High School University Professors Athletic San Francisco Funny Things Scholarship Athletic Scholarships

Author:Michael Franti

“If we do not change our negative habits toward climate change, we can count on worldwide disruptions in food production, resulting in mass migration, refugee crises and increased conflict over scarce natural resources like water and farm land. This is a recipe for major security problems.”

“Music is sunshine. Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly and almost chemically change your entire mood. Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose.”

Giving Purpose Energy Force Powerful Music Is Stronger Mood Sunshine New Energy

Author:Michael Franti

“The corporate media is there to push the agenda of the sponsors, and many of those sponsors are weapons manufacturers. So it stands to reason that you won't get a diversity of opinions on television.”

Reason Opinion Media Television Diversity Weapons Corporate Agendas Sponsors

Author:Michael Franti

“Be who you are nothing more nothing less, and let the beauty that you love be the very best. Sing praises to the highest with your feet on the ground, and reach for your brother with the words that you sound, and don't let mistakes be so monumental, and don't let your love be so confidential, and don't let your mind be so darn judgmental, and please let your heart be more influential. Be thankful for all the Spirit provides, And be thankful for all that you can see without eyes, Give thanks to music that keeps us alive, And give thanks to all DJs worldwide.”

“Many kids in foster homes have a lot of emotions that are hard to get out. It's important to let them know they can make a difference in the community.”

Knows Important Hard Home Kids Community Differences Emotion Making A Difference

Author:Michael Franti

“Don't fear the night time, Because the monsters know that you're divine. And don't fear the sunshine, Because everything is better in the summer time...”

Knows Causes Divine Monsters Sunshine Summertime Nighttime

Author:Michael Franti

“Those who start wars, never fight them, And those who fight wars, they never like them...”

War Fighting Start Wars

Author:Michael Franti

“You say you're a Christian, Cause God made you, You say you're a Muslim, Cause God made you, You say you're a Hindu and the next man a Jew, Then we all kill each other, Cause God told us to? Nah!..”

Men Made Christian Next Causes Jew

Author:Michael Franti

“I've never really been into flags of any kind, cause flags can bring people together, but they always bring people together against other people, and I don't really consider myself to be a patriot in the sense that I say, 'okay, this is my nation,' I consider myself to be a child of this whole planet.”

People Kind Children Whole Together Nations Causes Planets Okay Flags Patriot

Author:Michael Franti

“People ask me a lot, 'what can one person do,' and I say 'I'm not really sure what one person can due except come together with other people.'”

People Persons Together Asks Dues Ask Me

Author:Michael Franti

“It shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic issue whether we take care of the environment. That should be a human issue.”

Should Humans Care Issues Environment Republican Democratic Take Care

Author:Michael Franti

“Sometimes, I feel like I can do anything, and, sometimes, I'm so alive, sometimes, I feel like I could zoom across the sky and, sometimes, I wanna cry.”

Feels I Can Sometimes Can Do Alive Sky Cry Zoom

Author:Michael Franti

“When you're in Jamaica, unless you're in a tourist spot, you don't hear Bob Marley; you mostly hear dance hall music.”

Spots Halls Bob Tourists Jamaica Marley

Author:Michael Franti

“I'm a news junkie who's constantly reading newspapers and magazines. I look around and see what's happening in the world.”

World Looks Reading News Happenings Newspapers Magazines Junkie Reading Newspapers

Author:Michael Franti

“Star Wars is mythology. Its like Greek mythology or Shakespeare. Its the story of good versus evil over a very long span of time. The storytelling is universal and timeless.”

Long War Stories Evil Stars Universal Mythology Storytelling Greek Timeless Greek Mythology Versus Greek Myth

Author:Michael Franti

“It doesnt matter if youre black, white, gay, straight, come from different countries, different language... every single person is significant and is meaningful.”

Ifs Persons Different Country Matter Language Black White Gay Meaningful Significant Single Person Different Countries Black White Different Languages

Author:Michael Franti

“Johnny Cash was a rebel, not only just in the musical sense, but he was somebody who was for the people, and an advocate for labor, for workers, for prisoners, people who have been trapped by the criminal justice system.”

People Has Beens Justice Labor Workers Musical Criminals Prisoner Rebel Cash Trapped Justice System Criminal Justice Criminal Justice System

Author:Michael Franti

“Only a rat can win a rat race.”

Winning Race Rats Rat Race

Author:Michael Franti

“Be as radiant as the sun, as healing as the rain, as generous as a tree.”

Healing Sun Tree Rain Generous Radiant

Author:Michael Franti

“The more I see, the less I know.”

Knows Certainty Deep Life Great Beatles Greatest Beatles Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers

Author:Michael Franti

“I've always wanted to be a communicator of ideas through music. Today, I wanna be the most effective musical communicator of social change I could be, so I try to find different ways to do it and I'm always challenging myself to find new things, learn new instruments. But I always try to find in my heart, what it is I really want to say with words.”

Way Want Trying Heart Ideas Different Today Wanted Social Challenges My Heart Instruments Musical Different Ways New Things Social Change Communicators Challenging Myself

Author:Michael Franti

“I think right now is when we need to hear different voices coming out of all parts of the world. You can't just hear the politicians and the military leaders. You have to hear from the taxi drivers. You have to hear from the painters. You have to hear from the poets. You have to hear from the school teachers and the filmmakers and musicians.”

“We only have X amount of days and time on this planet - how am I going to spend that time? The way that I want to spend it is caring about the people that I love the most, and fighting to make the world a more livable place for everybody.”

People World Way Want Fighting Planets Amount Caring

Author:Michael Franti

“I feel alive when I feel ease of heart.”

Feels Heart Alive Ease

Author:Michael Franti

“The times when I feel not alive is when I feel stifled, when I feel like the emotion that's in me is not coming out. I'm too busy, too hectic. I'm serving my iPhone more than my spirit. Those are the times I feel bad.”

Feels Spirit Emotion Alive Busy Serving Coming Out Too Busy Iphone Hectic

Author:Michael Franti

“I could be really sad and I start to cry; I feel alive then. I could be at a concert and I throw my hands up in the air and I feel elation; I feel alive then.”

Feels Hands Alive Air Cry Concerts Really Sad Hands Up Elation Up In The Air

Author:Michael Franti

“Love is the action of soul satisfaction.”

Soul Action Love Is Satisfaction

Author:Michael Franti

“I think of love as an action. Finding something that's outside of yourself, to serve someone else's soul, helping to ignite someone else's spirit, to bring about ease of heart and joy, serenity in somebody else.”

Thinking Heart Soul Helping Action Joy Spirit Findings Ease Serenity Ignite

Author:Michael Franti

“If you love the planet or the neighborhood - you're finding ways to satisfy the soul of the planet or satisfy the soul of the neighborhood.”

Ifs Way Soul Planets Findings Neighborhood

Author:Michael Franti

“My mother and father took me in and provided everything for me - the love, nurturing, basic necessities - to give me the space to grow wings, so that when I went out into the world, I could fly.”

World Giving Mother Father Grows Space Give Me Wings Nurturing Mother And Father

Author:Michael Franti

“It was hard for me, as a father, to imagine going through what my birth mom went through, to raise a child inside of her for nine months, and then have to say goodbye. And so it's hard for me to understand that pain and that process.”

Children Hard Pain Father Process Imagine Mom Months Birth Raises Nine Goodbye Saying Goodbye Nine Months

Author:Michael Franti

“Don't settle for something that's not great. Don't feel like having a relationship that is not serving your needs is more important than having a relationship with yourself.”

Needs Feels Important Settling Serving

Author:Michael Franti

“I've been in those relationships. You go through years of your life and at a certain point you wake up and you go, god, what am I doing here? What have I spent the last three years doing? Part of it is learning, this process you've gotta go through. You have to recognize the point at which you're not learning anymore, and be able to let it go.”

Years Able Lasts Certain Three Process Wake Up Three Years Let It Go Through The Years

Author:Michael Franti

“Whenever people go out of their way to help other people - there's power and beauty in our diversity.”

People Way Helping Diversity Helping Others

Author:Michael Franti

“I've always found that the poorer the places that I go, the more smiles I see, and the more happiness I see.”

Author:Michael Franti

About the Author

Born: April 21, 1966
Known for: Poet
Quotes: 102

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People World Feels Knows Thinking Heart Way Different Ifs Soul

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People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

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