“What we struggle to make of it is our sole gift to Jah. The process of what that struggle becomes, in time, the Truth.”

“The harder the battle the sweet of Jah victory.”

“Rastafari not a culture, it’s a reality.”

“We Jah people can make it work.”

“I don’t stand for black man’s side, I don’t stand for white man’s side, I stand for God’s side.”

“Man can’t do without God. Just like you’re thirsty, you have to drink water. You just can’t go without God.”

“Life and Jah are one in 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.”

“Me don’t dip on nobody’s side. Me don’t dip on the black man’s side, not the white man’s side. Me dip on God’s side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.”

“People want to listen to a message, word from Jah. This could be passed through me or anybody. I am not a leader. Messenger. The words of the songs, not the person, is what attracts people.”

“Some people say great God come from the sky take away everything and make everybody feel high, but if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth.” —Get Up, Stand Up (cowritten with Peter Tosh), from the album Burnin’ (1973)

“The devil ain’t got no power over me. The devil come, and me shake hands with the devil. Devil have his part to play. Devil’s a good friend, too… because when you don’t know him, that’s the time he can mosh you down.”

“We JAH people can make it work.” —Work, from the album Uprising (1980)

“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.”

“I have a BMW. But only because BMW stands for and The Wailers, and not because I need an expensive car.”

“Money can’t buy life.”

“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.”

“Your life is worth much more than gold.”

“Hey mister music, sure sounds good to me I can’t refuse it what to be got to be.”

“My music fights against the system that teaches to live and die.”

“My music will go on forever. Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever.”

“One good thing about music—when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

“Some will hate you pretend they love you now then behind they try to eliminate you.”

“Who are you to judge the life I live? I am not perfect and I don’t have to be! Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.”

“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.”

“None but ourselves can free our minds.”

“Truth is the light.”

“And what has been hidden from the wise and the prudent been revealed in the mouth of the toddlers” –Forever Loving Jah, from the album Uprising (1980)

“Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but its everything in between that makes it all worth living.”

“Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality.”

“Don’t complicate your mind.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cos every little thing is gonna be alright.” —Three Little Birds, from the album Exodus (1977)

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind. Have no fear for atomic energy, ’cause none of them can stop the time.” —Redemption Song, from the album Uprising (1979)

“Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen.”

“If something can corrupt you, you’re corrupted already.”

“It is better to live on the house top than to live in a house full of confusion.” —Running Away, from the album Kaya

“It’s your own conscience that is gonna remind you; that it’s your heart and nobody else’s that is gonna judge.”

“Judge not, before you judge yourself. Judge not, if you’re not ready for judgment.”

“Man is a universe within himself.”

“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.”

“None but ourselves can free our minds.”

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you’re living?”

“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.”

“So before you point your fingers make sure your hands are clean.”

“Some people feel the rain, others just get wet.”

“Tell the children the truth.”

“The good times of today are the sad thoughts of tomorrow.”

“Today, people struggle to find what’s real. Everything has become so synthetic that a lot of people, all they want is to grasp onto hope.” —As quoted in Rolling Stone’s The Immortals (2004) Bob

“Until the end of the world, all whys will be answered, but now, you can only ask!”

“You can fool some people some times but you cant fool all the people all the time.”

“What important is man should live in righteousness, in natural love for mankind.”