Top 132 Quotes & Sayings by Eric Clapton - Page 2

But I did go to music really early on, even when I was 4 or 5, I was responding to music probably in ways other kids were not.

I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened to everything I could that came from that place that they call the blues but, in formality, isn't necessarily the blues.

The first guitar I ever had was a gut-string Spanish guitar, and I couldn't really get the hang of it. I was only 13, and I talked my grandparents into buying it for me. I tried and tried and tried, but got nowhere with it.

I remember hearing Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Big Bill Broonzy, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and not really knowing anything about the geography or the culture of the music. But for some reason it did something to me - it resonated.

This moment in time, on this tour, you know, I'm discovering a lot of new things. And to be 45 and doing that, it's a mixture of pleasure and pain, I can assure you.

I sought my father in the world of the black musician, because it contained wisdom, experience, sadness and loneliness. I was not ever interested in the music of boys. From my youngest years, I was interested in the music of men.

From the beginning, I knew intuitively that if nothing else, music was safe, and that nobody could tell me anything about it. Music didn't need a middleman, whereas all the other things in school needed some kind of explanation.

I always respected that B.B. sees music in a very open, free way.

I admire Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather, but they might blow me away quite easily if we were to jam together.

In my lowest moments, the only reason I didn't commit suicide was that I knew I wouldn't be able to drink any more if I was dead.

There are people these days who can do things on the guitar which are beyond my reach. There's one guy who plays with Queen who can do things I would dream of doing. I sincerely mean that.

Would you know my name, if I saw you in Heaven?

Music survives everything, and like God, it is always present. It needs no help, and suffers no hindrance.

I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had been much more abstract and not aligned with any recognized religion. For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music. It cannot be manipulated, or politicized, and when it is, that becomes immediately obvious.

All along this path I tread, my heart betrays my weary head, with nothing but my love to save, from the cradle to the grave.

I've always wanted the sound of Muddy Waters' early records - only louder

Up until I became a father, it was all about self-obsession. But then I learned exactly what it's all about: the delight of being a servant.

When I'm wrong it's never meant for you, so don't confuse my love with what I do.

Only ask and you will get what you are needing, the rest is up to you.

And I don't like having my picture taken. I'm almost like an old African in that sense. I think it steals a bit of the soul.

I couldn't believe how good Jimi Hendrix was It was a really difficult thing for me to deal with, but I just had to surrender and say, 'This is fantastic.'

They found our hero in the gutter with a diamond ring and a gun.

I never set myself too high a goal. It was always tone and feeling, for me.

When I saw Jimi Hendrix I knew immediately that this guy was the real thing ... and when he played it was like a rough sketch of what he was going to become ... this guy was our generation, and he wasn't in a suit .. he played a Howlin' Wolf song 'Killing Floor', and then we (The Cream) had to carry on the set. It was pretty hard to follow.

The only planning I do is about a minute before I play. I desperately try to think of something that will be effective, but I never sit down and work it out note for note.

For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music.

Would you know my name If I saw you in heaven Will it be the same If I saw you in heaven I must be strong, and carry on Cause I know I don't belong Here in heaven Would you hold my hand If I saw you in heaven Would you help me stand If I saw you in heaven I'll find my way, through night and day Cause I know I just can't stay Here in heaven

You can't mastermind everything. You'll go crazy. Just show up and play.

Music will always find its way to us, with or without business, politics, religion, or any other bullshit attached.

Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.

Music became a healer for me. And I learned to listen with all my being. I found that it could wipe away all fear and confusion.

I feel wonderful because I see the love light in your eyes, and the wonder of it all is you just don't realize how much I love you.

I'm an egomaniac with an inferiority complex.

My selective memory of what drinking was like told me that standing at the bar in a pub, on a summer's evening with a long, tall glass of lager and lime was heaven, and I chose not to remember the nights on which I had sat with a bottle of vodka, a gram of coke and a shotgun, contemplating suicide.

For me there is something primitively soothing about this music, and it went straight to my nervous system, making me feel ten feet tall.

Our love will rule in this kingdom we have made.

Having lovers and friends is all good and fine But I don't like yours and you don't like mine.

Loose ladies on the road will drive you crazy, every no, becomes a maybe.

My definition of Blues is that it's a musical form which is very disciplined and structured coupled with a state of mind, and you can have either of those things but it's the two together that make it what it is. And you need to be a student for one, and a human being for the other, but those things alone don't do it.

Musically, he was like an old man in a boy's skin.

the thing about pessimism is that in most cases it's nothing more than a front behind which a body can hide its most sweetful yet painful hopes. please forgive mine.

I thought, 'My God, this is like Buddy Guy on acid.'

If you hand me a guitar, I'll play the blues. That's the place I automatically go.

Plant your love and let it grow.

It's been up to me to inspire me.

My driving philosophy about making music is that you can reduce it all down to one note if that note is played with the right kind of sincerity.

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.

The music scene as I look at it today is a little different from when I was growing up. The percentages are roughly the same - 95 percent rubbish, 5 percent pure.

All I am certain of right now is that I don't want to go anywhere, and that's not bad for someone who always used to run.

Give me a guitar and I'll play; give me a stage and I'll perform; give me an auditorium and I'll fill it.

My identity shifted when I got into recovery. That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have that identity than to be a musician or anything else, because it keeps me in a manageable size. When I'm down on the ground with my disease-which I'm happy to have-it gets me in tune. It gives me a spiritual anchor. Don't ask me to explain.

It's been very important throughout my career that I've met all the guys I've copied, because at each stage they've said, 'Don't play like me, play like you.'

Lately I've been running on faith.

[Unplugged] was also the cheapest to produce and required the least amount of preparation and work. But if you want to know what it actually cost me, go to Ripley and visit the grave of my son.

I have no problem with religion, and I grew up with a strong curiosity about spiritual matters, but my searching took me away from church and community worship to the internal journey. Before my recovery began, I found my God in music and the arts, with writers like Hermann Hesse, and musicians like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter.

Every time you pick up your guitar to play, play as if it's the last time.

Whatever your standing in life, the most important thing is behaving in ways that help other people. It's the same with music. I am a servant of the music ... and if I get caught up in ego, I'll lose everything .. it'll burn and that's a guarantee.

Like a fool, I fell in love with you, Turned my whole world upside down

I found my God in music and the arts, with writers like Hermann Hesse, and musicians like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter. In some way, in some form, my God was always there, but now I have learned to talk to him.

I saw you walking with your other man today. If I catch you one more time, I'm gonna blow you both away.