Many times during auditions, I was told that I couldn't carry a note with a bucket, and that I sure couldn't play the piano. Ray Charles More Quotes by Ray Charles More Quotes From Ray Charles Music is the chalk to the blackboard of life. Without it everything is a blank slate Ray Charles chalk blank music-is I'm a firm believer in God himself, but that's as far as I can go. I'm not any denomination. I'm not Catholic or Presbyterian or Baptist or Methodist or Jewish or Muslim. I'm none of those things. And I'm sure that's just fine with God. Ray Charles methodists baptists catholic I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been able to hear. Ray Charles vision able eye Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory. Ray Charles music play memories Just like you can buy grades of silk, you can buy grades of justice. Ray Charles black-history like-you justice Music is nothing separate from me. It is me... You'd have to remove the music surgically. Ray Charles music-is musical music I cant retire from music any more than I can retire from my liver. Youd have to remove the music from me surgically—like you were taking out my appendix. Ray Charles retiring remove like-you Now Listen You know I work so hard, all day long Everything I try to do, Seem to always turn out wrong That's why I wanna stop by on my way home and say Let's go get stoned Ray Charles weed home long I always stay out of the rehearsal room you know when they first come in. Then once they had chance to play a little bit, then I walk in. Because I've seen guys fall apart. Ray Charles guy play fall There's such a thing as too much happiness and sadness. What I'm after is contentment. Ray Charles contentment sadness too-much Rhythm and blues used to be called race music. ... This music was going on for years, but nobody paid any attention to it. Ray Charles rhythm-and-blues race years Hit the road Jack, don'tcha come back no more, no more, no more, no more. Hit the road Jack, don'tcha come back no more. Ray Charles Women anchor me. They're there when I need them. They're sensitive to me, and I'm sensitive to them. I'm not saying I've loved that many women. Ray Charles sensitive anchors needs If you can play the blues, you can do anything. Ray Charles ifs can-do play I heard someone say that all black people got rhythm. Bullshit. Ray Charles bullshit music people I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won't lay, a big stack of bills that gets bigger each day. Ray Charles dry each-day work The fact of the matter is, you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done. Ray Charles dont-give-up giving-up done If somebody don't like something that I do, that's his or her prerogative. Just like it's mine. Ray Charles prerogative like-something mines Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor. Ray Charles music-is-my-life honor years I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. Ray Charles immortality mark want