Top 60 Willie Nelson Quotes

I just enjoy both working and not working. And fortunately, I work enough where I get that out of my system, and then we take a few days off, take a rest.

When I see someone I think is cool, he’s a pretty well-adjusted individual. He’s not too affected one way or the other by what’s happening, no matter what’s going through his mind.

We’re still here trying to get the word out that 330 farmers are quitting every week.

Waylon Jennings and I had a lot of fun recording together.

You know why divorces are so expensive? They’re worth it.

Don’t try to change anybody. And they should let you be yourself, ‘You loved me when you met me, so let’s keep going!’

Freedom is control in your own life. I have more control now than in the past, and I’m learning the value of saying no. That’s very important.

If a song was ever good, it’s still good.

There are only so many notes so there must be only so many melodies.

The first time I got onstage was when I was about 5 years old. It was at a church social, and I had a poem to recite.

If you really want to get along with somebody, let them be themselves.

I text and email my friends and family a lot, but that’s about the extent of my high-tech-etude.

I guess if you can’t sing, you better have a style!

I started out writing poems before I figured to put melodies to them and play the guitar. Somewhere, there’s a book out there on all those early songs and poems. I hope no one ever finds it. I don’t think it’s my finest work.

I don’t think any person has any special knowledge about what God has planned for me and you any more than me and you do.

All my kids were raised on computers: They were home-schooled on the Internet, so they’re pretty good at that stuff. And I’m proud of them, but I don’t really keep up with it.

I would like to see more airplay for all artists, no matter what age. I think there’s a lot of money being spent toward the young guys, but a lot of the older guys are the ones who blazed the trail for those young guys.

I just enjoy both working and not working.

But if you think of all the people who don’t like me, just think of all the millions who’ve never heard of me!

The whole house came up and I came up with it… I was just praying to the Lord to take care of me.

I believe that all roads lead to the same place – and that is wherever all roads lead to.

I didn’t come here and I ain’t leavin’.

I was influenced a lot by those around me – there was a lot of singing that went on in the cotton fields.

I like myself better when I’m writing regularly.

Cruelty is all out of ignorance. If you knew what was in store for you, you wouldn’t hurt anybody, because whatever you do comes back much more forceful than you send it out.

I like to play small clubs.

Great songs stand out wherever they’re from.

I am not a pig farmer. The pigs had a great time, but I didn’t make any money.

I don’t think any person has any special knowledge about what God has planned for me and you any more than me and you do.

Sometimes there is a 36-piece orchestra going off in my stomach.

A lot of country music is sad. I think most art comes out of poverty and hard times. It applies to music. Three chords and the truth – that’s what a country song is. There is a lot of heartache in the world.

What has changed is that nothing has changed… that’s what has made me more unhappy than everything else.

All I do is play music and golf – which one do you want me to give up?

Three chords and the truth – that’s what a country song is.

I used to work in the cotton fields a lot when I was young. There were a lot of African Americans working out there. A lot of Mexicans – the blacks and the whites and the Mexicans, all out there singing, and it was like an opera in the cotton fields, and I can still hear it in the music that I write and play today.

You could make any song sound creepy if you wanted. It’s all about the inflection.

Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.

Where I grew up, Bob Wills and his western swing was very popular. And western swing is not that far from jazz and blues.

As long as there’s a few farmers out there, we’ll keep fighting for them.

Freedom is control in your own life.

When you’re singing, you’re using extra muscles, and it requires a lot of exercise and breathing. You can’t do that if you’re a sissy. If I have any fitness advice for people, I’d tell them to sing more. It’s good therapy, too.

I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?

When I’m driving the highway by myself is when I write best.

I like to stick with music I know I can play. I love classical, but I don’t think I could ever play it. I’m just not qualified.

Writing books is fun because after I do a show for a couple hours, I’m in a bus for 22 hours. It’s not hard for me to look out the window and tell a joke here and there.

I think most art comes out of poverty and hard times.

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

I don’t like to think too far ahead.

My doctor tells me I should start slowing it down – but there are more old drunks than there are old doctors so let’s all have another round.

You want to be a good parent and you want to be a friend, and it’s hard to be both. You have to balance it as well as you can.

You don’t have to be poor to need something or somebody.

Everything about Sinatra was good. He had the ability to pick great songs, and once Sinatra had sung them, that pretty much was it. He pretty much put his stamp on everything.

I think Ray Charles did as much as anybody when he did his country music album. Ray Charles broke down borders and showed the similarities between country music and R&B.

America, to me, is freedom.

If you got the money honey I got the time and when you run out of money honey I run out of time.

Well the country songs themselves are three-chord stories, ballads which are mostly sad. If you are already feeling sorry for yourself when you listen to them they will take you to an even sadder place.

It doesn’t hurt to feel sad from time to time.

And as far as guitars go, I loved Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West’s stuff.

We create our own unhappiness. The purpose of suffering is to help us understand we are the ones who cause it.

I wanted to connect all people who are thinking about peace on Earth.