Dave Matthews Quotes

Some of the greatest artists did their best work when they got political.

You shouldn't listen to my music for political messages.

If you look at the history of art and fashion, it's always been political. It's always been pushing boundaries.

That's what independent filmmaking does: it gives the underdog a voice, a shot.

In today's world everything is political. We are a statement - our clothes, haircut, the way we act.

Every artistic expression is either influenced by or adds something to politics.

Acting, to me, has been many things: It's a business, and it's a craft, and it's a political act - it's whatever adjective is most applicable.

People always ask me 'do you think there should be more bands doing political music?' and I say 'absolutely not.'

It is difficult to make political art work.

Political art expresses the cliches you agree with, unlike propaganda, which expresses the cliches you don't.

I think it's important, if you are an artist, to use your music to stand up for what you believe in.

I'm using my art to comment on what I see. You don't have to agree with it.

I think there is a debate in the arts about, you know, whether we must strive for art for art's sake, and you know, kind of try to keep political debate out of our work. And to that I say, I'd like you to show me an example of, you know, this so-called apolitical art. I don't think there's any such thing.

When you do have songs where you're going to say something, some kind of statement about cultural or social stuff, that in general people love it. People love to be challenged in that way.

I think the good thing about Macklemore is that he is very precise about what he gets involved in. As you can tell, he's very passionate about what he puts his name on, because he talks about things people don't usually talk about, and his concepts are very, very passionate.

I chose to camouflage my body into the environment because this way, people will pay more attention to the background's social property, and the meaning of my body disappeared in this environment as an individual.

Previously the same Polish audiences would have been pressured into seeing cinema made for adults, films made by us about those spheres of life that were significant for us and which should be significant for our society.

I think it's really the job of the composer, the artist, the painter, the writer to present people with options. I'm just really reflecting the thoughts and actions around me.

My work is my way of expressing myself without being arrested.

Making art in America is sort of a political statement in and of itself. It's not the best environment for that sometimes.

I have some pretty forceful ideas about the world - obviously I do. But I suppose I can only really speak about them from within the protection of a literary form.

The role of art in society differs for every artist.

My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip hop.

My art and poetry is very political now. Because you've got to find that truth within you and express yourself. Somewhere out there, I know, there will be people who will listen.

The arts tend to be more liberal. There tends to be more social relevance in the arts.