“I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.”

“Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.”

“I did it to myself. It wasn't society... it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.”

“I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't supposed to cry, but I think that's wrong. Crying's always been a way for me to get things out which are buried deep, deep down. When I sing, I often cry. Crying is feeling, and feeling is being human. Oh yes, I cry.”

“What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.”

“Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.”

“My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.”

“I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me - like food or water.”

“Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor.”

“I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.”

“Learning to read music in Braille & play by ear helped me develop a [very] good memory.”