Ani DiFranco Quotes

It's hard for me to say that what I'm doing isn't even really music, because deep inside of me, what I want to do is much greater than music.

Life obliges me to do something, so I paint.

My motivation is not to try to inspire, but rather to do things that inspire me and hopefully that will spread to others.

Before dance came into my life, I don't really remember having any major goals or dreams of wanting to be anything.

Art is why I get up in the morning, but my definition ends there.

If something happened where I couldn't write music anymore, it would kill me. It's not just a job. It's not just a hobby. It's why I get up in the morning.

There's only one reason for my whole life, and that's art. Nothing else counts; nothing else gives me pleasure; nothing else gives me satisfaction.

Acting should be an end in itself.

In a lot of the art world, you have to present yourself as you know what you're doing at a young age. Music gave me another outlet. The 'no wave' bands were such an inspiration; it felt so free - once you start doing it, it's hard to stop. But I can't get away from art. It comes back around. I wouldn't be true to myself if I didn't pursue it.

For me, living and making music, they're one thing. It's not like a job that I go to a studio to do, or a chore that I have to get myself in the mood to do, or something. It's the thing that I need to do every day.

I started to realise that it wasn't for me. Perhaps I didn't have to give my Hamlet before I died, that the world might be an OK place without my Hamlet, in fact.

It is not in life, but in art that self-fulfillment is to be found.

Asked to give advice to a 13-year-old girl about how to lead her life, I say find something you love to do. The goal shouldn't be accumulating money. It might be making changes in the world, or in your country.

I unfortunately do suffer for my art.

From an early age, I knew I would be unhappy if I wasn't doing something creative.

No matter what you're doing. I feel that everyone has something different that moves them or that appeals to them. Maybe something in your family or maybe something in your life that happened that really pushes you for a specific cause - as long as there is something that you're doing.

Sports don't define us; it is not what we live for.

Some people become artists for whatever reasons. Some of it's frivolous. And I don't think there should be any shame on that, but I think there comes a point in life where you want to offer more.

If you don't wake up and have your own thing, whether it's writing or reading or traveling or acting or dancing or singing or being a mother or a father, something that drives you, then it's all worth nothing. One of the key elements in happiness is purpose.

My ambition was never to make a lot of money. It wasn't to travel around the world. I was really just struggling to make the best pictures I could make.

My art is rooted in a single reflection: why am I not as others are? ... my art gives meaning to my life.

I don't wish power, only art -art and passion.

I am not God. But I can only do my role here on this planet. The role I feel I was given since I was a kid was to be making art and I only wanted to give and I never let money be my God.

I guess I'm just an open-hearted, fair, good person. I try to encourage people to be their best and look inside themselves and find out what they are passionate about and expand on that and enjoy life.