Music has as many roles as people make it. I traveled to Burma once years ago to witness the people's struggle for democracy, meet some people and learn some stuff. And I had this incredible experience over and over again in the Burmese jungle or refugee camps or health clinics with very oppressed, very devastated people. I show up, and I'm white and I'm American and I'm privileged and I have an experience that these people can't fathom and vice versa. There was this huge chasm when I met people for all good reasons.

Ani DiFranco

Categorized in : People Struggle Democracy

One of my rules is: Never TRY to do anything. Just do it.

Ani DiFranco

positivity change motivational

I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap.

Ani DiFranco

individual-differences diversity strength

We are wise, wise women. We are giggling girls.

Ani DiFranco

wise-women girl wise

The world owes us nothing; we owe each other the world.

Ani DiFranco

world

We are taught to view pain as an enemy, not a teacher. But pain is the right hand of growth and transformation. Pain is in the history of all human wisdom.

Ani DiFranco

pain views teacher

I walk like I'm on a mission 'cause that's the way I groove. I got more and more to do and less and less to prove.

Ani DiFranco

missions causes way

I wonder what you look like under your t-shirt. I wonder what you sound like when you're not wearing words. I wonder what we have when we're not pretending.

Ani DiFranco

sound wonder looks

I don't take good pictures 'cause I have the kind of beauty that moves.

Ani DiFranco

causes beauty moving

Freedom and democracy, That's the word from Washington every day. Put America to sleep with warm milk and clichés, And people are expendable along the way.

Ani DiFranco

sleep america people

Maybe you don't like your job, maybe you didn't get enough sleep, well nobody likes their job, nobody got enough sleep. Maybe you just had the worst day of your life, but you know, there's no escape, there's no excuse, so just suck up and be nice.

Ani DiFranco

nice sleep jobs

If you want to challenge the system, don't go to bed with it.

Ani DiFranco

guitar bed challenges

My country tis of thee, to take swings at each other on talk show TV.

Ani DiFranco

swings politics country

I hope progressive ways of thinking will permeate the "mainstream" more and more in the coming years. Goddess knows we have endured a very long spell (thirty plus years) of regressive thinking and hyper conservativism dominating our culture and national discourse. It necessitates risk taking and rule breaking by people in all walks of life to swing that pendulum back though.

Ani DiFranco

swings years thinking

I sincerely believe patriarchy to be at the root of all of our social diseases and feminism, it's antidote, to be a prerequisite to peace on earth. feminism provides an alternative way of thinking and structuring things that focuses on and prioritizes relationships and de-emphasizes hierarchy, separation and domination.

Ani DiFranco

roots believe thinking

[The 'corporate takeover of people's lives'] also accounts for a lot of homogenization of culture. There are fast food restaurants everywhere. Every place tastes the same.

Ani DiFranco

taste culture people

Pop stardom is not very compelling. I'm much more interested in a relationship between performer and audience that is of equals. I came up through folk music, and there's no pomp and circumstance to the performance. There's no, like, 'I'll be the rock star, you be the adulating fan.'

Ani DiFranco

rocks fans stars

They can call me crazy if I fail, all the chance that I need, is one-in-a-million and they can call me brilliant if I succeed.

Ani DiFranco

succeed crazy needs

When I look down, I miss all the good stuff And when I look up, I just trip over things.

Ani DiFranco

missing stuff looks

Art may imitate life, but life imitates TV.

Ani DiFranco

inspire life art

Love is a piano dropped from a fourth story window, and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ani DiFranco

piano music love