Robert Nesta Marley, whose stage name is Bob Marley, was a Jamaican songwriter, singer, and musician who is considered as one of the pioneers of reggae music. Bob’s music career was distinguished by fusing elements of reggae, rocksteady, and ska not forgetting his unique vocals and songwriting style. He was the first global superstar to shatter all the negative stereotypes that are associated with the “third-world.” He sold over 75 million albums worldwide.
Bob Marley was brought up in the slums of Jamaica and, therefore, he knew exactly what it is to grow up poor. When he started earning a fortune and achieving fame for his music, he built and bought houses for his friends and even supported the poor. Bob’s contribution to music increased the clarity of Jamaican music worldwide making him a global icon in popular culture for more than a decade. He is a global symbol of Jamaican music and was controversial for his outspoken aid and support for democratic social reforms. He supported the legalization of marijuana.
Marley’s music was full of meaningful lyrics that inspired us to find a purpose for our life. Although it has been many years since the world lost this legend, these Bob Marley’s quotes will change your perspective about life, expand your mind and even enhance your logic.
Bob Marley Quotes
1. “He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can.”– Bob Marley
2. “Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.”– Bob Marley
3. “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”– Bob Marley
4. “Truth is everybody is going to hurt you: you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”– Bob Marley
5. “Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!”– Bob Marley
6. “Everything is political. I will never be a politician or even think political. Me just deal with life and nature. That is the greatest thing to me.”– Bob Marley
7. “I don’t stand for the black man’s side, I don’ t stand for the white man’s side. I stand for God’s side.”– Bob Marley
8. “Prejudice is a chain, it can hold you. If you prejudice, you can’t move, you keep prejudice for years. Never get nowhere with that.”– Bob Marley
9. “Me only have one ambition, y’know. I only have one thing I really like to see happen. I like to see mankind live together – black, white, Chinese, everyone – that’s all.”– Bob Marley
10. “The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her.”– Bob Marley
11. “The winds that sometimes take something we love, are the same that bring us something we learn to love. Therefore we should not cry about something that was taken from us, but, yes, love what we have been given. Because what is really ours is never gone forever.”– Bob Marley
12. “Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect — and I don’t live to be — but before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean!”– Bob Marley
13. “Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it’s everything in between that makes it all worth living.”– Bob Marley
14. “You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love sun, but you seek shelter when it is shining. You say you love wind, but when it comes you close your windows. So that’s why I’m scared when you say you love me.”– Bob Marley
15. “If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy. … Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”– Bob Marley
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16. “If you can love the wrong person that much, imagine how much you can love the right one.”– Bob Marley
17. “As a man sow, shall he reap. and I know that talk is cheap. But the heat of the battle is as sweet as the victory.”– Bob Marley
18. “Politics and church are the same. They keep the people in ignorance.”– Bob Marley
19. “Man can’t do without God. Just like you’re thirsty, you have to drink water. You just can’t go without God.”– Bob Marley
20. “If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from, then you wouldn’t have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am.”– Bob Marley
21. “They don’t want to see us live together; all they want us to do is keep on killing one another.”– Bob Marley
22. “Me see myself as a revolutionary,wouldn’t want no help and imma take no bribe from no one and fight it single handed with music.”– Bob Marley
23. “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.”– Bob Marley
24. “Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more.”– Bob Marley
25. “You not supposed to feel down over whatever happen to you. I mean, you’re supposed to use whatever happen to you as some type of upper, not a downer.”– Bob Marley
26. “Don’t gain the world and lose your soul. Wisdom is better than silver and gold.”– Bob Marley
27. “Don’t trust people whose feelings change with time. Trust people whose feelings remain the same, even when the time changes.”– Bob Marley
28. “The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?”– Bob Marley
29. “Your Worst Enemy Could Be Your Best Friend && Your Best Friend Your Worst Enemy.”– Bob Marley
30. “Just because you are happy it does not mean that the day is perfect but that you have looked beyond its imperfections.”– Bob Marley
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31. “If you’re white and you’re wrong, then you’re wrong; if you’re black and you’re wrong, you’re wrong. People are people. Black, blue, pink, green – God make no rules about color; only society make rules where my people suffer, and that why we must have redemption and redemption now.”– Bob Marley
32. “It take many a year, mon, and maybe some bloodshed must be, but righteousness someday prevail.”– Bob Marley
33. “Live for yourself and you will live in vain; Live for others, and you will live again.”– Bob Marley
34. “You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.”– Bob Marley
35. “The most beautiful curve on a woman’s body is her smile.”– Bob Marley
36. “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds!”– Bob Marley
37. “You can fool some people sometimes, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”– Bob Marley
38. “Get up, stand up, Stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, Don’t give up the fight.”– Bob Marley
39. “the power of philosophy floats through my head.. light like a feather, heavy as lead.”– Bob Marley
40. “I went deep inside myself. I had time to explore my beliefs and because of that I’m stronger.”– Bob Marley
41. “Some Will Hate You Pretend They Love You Now Then Behind They Try To Eliminate You.”– Bob Marley
42. “As a man sow, shall he reap. and I know that talk is cheap. But the heat of the battle is as sweet as the victory.”– Bob Marley
43. “The sun shall not smite I by day, nor the moon by night, and everything that I do shall be upfull and right.”– Bob Marley
44. “That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, Dis a war.”– Bob Marley
45. “The lips of the righteous teach many, But fools die for want of wisdom.”– Bob Marley
46. “Today, people struggle to find what’s real. Everything has become so synthetic that a lot of people, all they want is to grasp onto hope.”– Bob Marley
47. “They don’t want us to unite: all they want us to do is keep on fussing and fighting.”– Bob Marley
48. “Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.”– Bob Marley
49. “They will always tell you that you can’t do what you want to do, but you can do what you want to do. You just have to believe in yourself. The system is to bring you down, but you can rise up.”– Bob Marley
50. “Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life.”– Bob Marley
51. “Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.”– Bob Marley
52. “Forget your troubles and dance! Forget your sorrows and dance! Forget your sickness and dance! Forget your weakness and dance!”– Bob Marley
53. “God sent me on earth. He send me to do something, and nobody can stop me. If God want to stop me, then I stop. Man never can.”– Bob Marley
Video: Bob Marley & The Wailers – Stir It Up (Live at The Old Grey Whistle, 1973)
In this awesome video, Bob Marley & The Wailers do a live in-studio performance for London’s Top Gear Radio Show before performing live for BBC Channel 2′s Old Grey Whistle Test.
They perform “Stir It Up” and “Concrete Jungle” during this set. This is one of only 2 or 3 times where Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer are captured on video performing together as The Wailers.
Summary
Bob Marley occasionally denounced any addiction to chasing money and accumulating worldly and material things. He believed that there was so much more to life than western consumerism.
Bob never steered away from speaking his mind and saying something controversial. His reggae music healed and called for social change and oppression. He was a very religious man. His quotes and words continue to inspire and enlighten us.
Image Credit: Eddie Mallin, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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