John Prendergast Quotes

It gives one hope, this great strength of Africa.

I know that there are a lot of people out there with stories far worse than mine but you, too, can make it. To those of you who have, welcome to life. I celebrate you.

The pain that all people experience in life and the light that helps them champion through it all - it's their lives and their stories and their love and will to keep living that moves me to write.

It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it.

I speak to people who have been through so much more.

My songs have always had hope and perseverance in them - I never write songs that have no escape hatch, no positivity.

I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life - and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.

Cancer didn't bring me to my knees, it brought me to my feet.

We were not defeated. We had been refugees. Now we were freedom fighters.

You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise

John, you have broken many times, physically and otherwise, and you have always grown stronger, but what you don't really understand in my humble opinion is how much courage you give the rest of us looking at you.

I try to find scripts of stories that kinda celebrate the human condition... let's talk about the tough world out there and the human spirit overcoming adversity.

I'm a survivor. I'm a messenger.

The human spirit and what it can go through... that's pretty inspiring.

I feel like my story could hopefully inspire others who've faced hard times.

I don't believe people are moved to action when they see horror. They're moved to action when they see courage in the face of horror.

There's not an anti-Toto spray that will keep us down.

I always tell my story because I want others who have felt broken to know they can make it.

I've met quadriplegics who have lost the use of their limbs but not their spirit. They are not dark, defeated people.

I turned sadness into an anthem for not letting anything or anyone slow you down.

I just like to write stories about people who survive even very difficult, impossible things.

After the tragedy, New Yorkers are more united than ever in their vision, as well as in appreciation what living in freedom means - and that if we stand together, we can accomplish anything.

I still when I wake up hit the ground running; and having an illness, I'm only one of hundreds of thousands of people that live with an illness, and I'm just in awe of the bravery and dignity of the people I see at the hospital.

I have to laugh because despite the destruction, we cannot let 'them' steal our pleasure. That is always the theme of my performances: I'm here to thrive, not just to survive.