Youssou N'Dour Quotes

When you live in a place, you're not just taking from it, you're contributing to it. In America I would never be able to make myself a person who could contribute. I wasn't interested in that society; I was interested in this society.

When I heard that Capital One was fostering a conversation about natural connections that exist among all of us, bridged through our travels - I knew I had to get involved.

People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist.

Everyone can help. We can educate ourselves and our children about other countries and cultures. We have a responsibility to be aware of others and I believe this will inspire the individual way each person can make their difference.

As I've always said, the way New Yorkers back us we have to produce for them.

I can get along great with the Hispanics. In fact, I sure would like to meet them, even the politicians, maybe in the back room or whatever, have a couple of beers and try to explain. But they need to understand that I enforce the laws. I want to listen to them and hear their problems. I want them to tell me what their problems are.

Music is an art form too. Sometimes other forms of art can be inspiring to the musician.

I have long been interested in exploring and advancing the valuable relationships between the arts and society.

When I see other people out there, involved, and really giving their time and effort for the kids, then I don't mind giving my time and effort for the kids as well.

From the beginning the Indian accepted the white man in Canada. We allowed him differences. We helped him overcome his weakness in trying to make his way in our environment. We taught him to know our world, to avoid the pitfalls and deadfalls, how to trap and hunt and fish, how to live in a strange environment. Is it too much to ask the white man to reciprocate?

No man can have society upon his own terms. If he seeks it, he must serve it too.

National cultures and heritages must compete for man's attention with the mind-absorbing advances of universal science.

We can't talk about community values without being prepared to invest in those very same communities.

The audiences for some of many of our greatest cultural events—I’m thinking particularly of the Proms [traditional patriotic promenade concerts]—is still a long way from demonstrating that people from different backgrounds feel at ease in being part of this. I know this is not about making every audience completely representative, but if we claim great things for our sectors in terms of their power to bring people together, then we have a right to expect they will do that wherever they can.

We have to insist that those who come to us show a willingness to integrate that corresponds to our readiness to integrate them.

Cultural ‘authenticity’ is neither national nor exclusive. Even Picasso and Gauguin drew richly on West African influences in their most distinctive creations, reminding us of the cosmopolitan spirit that underlies dynamic modern identities.

You cannot just exercise your rights and get away without performing your responsibilities. Understand that it should not be about 'me' but rather 'us.'

A team is supported by the community, and a team must support its community.

There's definitely an interest in Scotland and what happened here. I think the rest of the world are fascinated by our history, and it's nice to be able to bring Scotland and our culture and music to the screen.

I'm always entrenched in the community. I'm always working with the high schoolers, no matter what school they're at. I'm always in my community.

I feel like I have this unique opportunity to represent both Korea and the U.S.

I pay my tax in the belief that you pay yours. I pay for your doctor's visit, in the belief that you pay for mine. In Denmark we don't have gold mines, but we have something more important. We have trust in one another.

I have a great relationship with Special Olympics back in Baltimore and have had one for many years.

Raffi doesn't have any grand theories about why his music has been so successful, but he credits a group called the Babysitters as early inspiration.

What I mean by being real is just when you are doing dance celebrations, sports celebrations, like the cooking dance or anything like that. When you're an artist, you want to always try your best to do the homework and see where it originated from.