What music comes to mind when you think of the Caribbean Sea, white sand on the beach, drinking coconut water straight out of the coconut, and the feeling that life is beautiful? That’s right, reggae, the music that absorbed the Jamaican sunshine. And once you mention reggae, the first name associated with it is, of course, Bob Marley.
A native of Jamaica, Bob Marley was one of the pioneers of reggae and is definitely the most recognizable name in the genre. But besides being an exceptionally talented musician who dedicated his career to promoting Jamaican culture in the world, Marley was also an outspoken activist and openly supported democratic social reforms. His songs often reflected his views on various issues.
Many Bob Marley quotes about life are very spiritual, calling for peace, harmony, and acceptance. And of course, like many prominent songwriters, he wrote a lot about the universal power of love. A lot of Bob Marley love quotes, as well as his quotes about women, come from his songs, but he also made sure to share his beliefs directly with his audience in interviews and public appearances.
One very famous Bob Marley quote is “Love the life you live, live the life you love.” Even though there are no direct records of him saying this, his song Place of Peace does contain similar lyrics. No matter how or where exactly he shared this thought, it is a great piece of advice we can all use to live our best lives.
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"Don’t trust people whose feelings change with time. Trust people whose feelings remain the same, even when the time changes."
"Love the life you live. Live the life you love."
"The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her."
"You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters?"
"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!"
My favorite Jamaican proverb,"Before you poin your fingers, make sure your hands are clean"
"Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living."
"Every time I plant a seed, he says kill it before it grows, he says kill it before they grow."
"They told me that to make her fall in love I had to make her laugh. But every time she laughs I'm the one who falls in love."
"The problem is people are being hated, when they are real and are being loved when they are fake."
"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."
"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."
"Just because you are happy it does not mean that the day is perfect but that you have looked beyond its imperfections."
"She may not be the most popular or prettiest but if you love her and she makes you smile... what else matters?"
"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around."
"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for."
"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."
"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 into reality. Wake up and live!"
"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."
"The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?"
"My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool to say that, but when I know facts I can say facts. My music will go on forever."
"It's your own conscience. That is gonna remind you, that it's your heart and nobody else's. That is gonna judge."
"I only have one ambition. 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."
"There will never be no love at all."
"Life and Jah are one and the same. Jah is the gift of existence. I am in some way eternal, I will never be duplicated. The singularity of every man and woman is Jah's gift. What we struggle to make of it is our sole gift to Jah. The process of what that struggle becomes, in time, the truth."
"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."
"I went deep inside myself. I had time to explore my beliefs and because of that I'm stronger."
"Most people think a great God will come from the skies, take away everything, and make everybody feel high. But if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth."
"In high seas or in low seas, I'm gonna be your friend... I'm gonna be your friend. In high tide or in low tide, I'll be by your side... I'll be by your side."
"I wish we were all hippies and did yoga, lived in cottages, accepted everyone for who they are and listened to wonderful music."
"Well, what we know
Is not what they tell us
We're not ignorant, I mean it,
And they just cannot touch us
Through the powers of the Most-High
We keep on surfacin'
Thru the powers of the Most-High
We keep on survivin'."
"Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end."
"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."
"Yeah I see myself as a revolutionary, wouldn't want any help and imma take no bribe from no one and fight it single-handed with music."
"Sayin' give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right. Sayin', let's get together and feel all right... there ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation."
"You find, that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you."
"You not supposed to feel down over whatever happens to you. I mean, you’re supposed to use whatever happens to you as some type of upper, not a downer."
"Everything is political. I will never be a politician or even think political. I just deal with life and nature. That is the greatest thing to me."
"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."
"You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love the 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."
"You just can't live that negative way. You know what I mean. Make way for the positive day. Cause it's a new day..."
"So if you are the big tree, we are the small axe. Ready to cut you down, to cut you down."
"They gave me star treatment, because I was making a lot of money. But I was just as good when I was poor."
"Everything has become so synthetic that a lot of people, all they want is to grasp onto hope."
"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."
"Me is a common sense man. That mean when me explain things, me explain it in a very simple way; that mean if I explain it to a baby, the baby will understand too, you know."
"And what has been hidden from the wise and the prudent been revealed in the mouth of the toddlers."
"Man can’t do without God. Just like you’re thirsty, you have to drink water. You just can’t go without God."
"And don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there."
"You entertain people who are satisfied. Hungry people can’t be entertained – or people who are afraid. You can’t entertain a man who has no food."
"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."
"I have a BMW. But only because BMW stands for and The Wailers, and not because I need an expensive car."
"Babylon is everywhere. You have wrong and you have right. Wrong is what we call Babylon, wrong things. That is what Babylon is to me."
"I don't stand for black man's side, I don't stand for white man's side, I stand for God's side."
"It takes many a year, mon, and maybe some bloodshed must be, but righteousness someday prevails."
