Alan Jackson Quotes
'After 17' is a song I wrote when my first daughter went to college, so that's kind of where I'm at in that part of my life. If you listen to that song and knew anything about me, you'd say, 'Oh yeah, he wrote that about his daughter,' but I try not to write them that they are so specific that they wouldn't apply to anybody that has a child.

Quotes to Explore
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I have thought a sufficient measure of civilization is the influence of good women.
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What brought the British to the Gambia in the first place - which was bigger than it is now - was trade in ivory because the Gambia had a lot of elephants. They wiped out all the elephants and ended up selling Africans.
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They're always so serious, the orchestras, you know? It's always a fun contrast of that song and the genre of music. And me.
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I think that black people, to a degree, need to have a certain level of dexterity. If we want to be at the highest level of whatever our field is, we have to be able to navigate both worlds. We all just know that you gotta be able to put that suit on and have a conversation with people that don't look like you or your family.
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I never left doo wop.
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I'm not a control freak.
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I think that it's important for every single person, no matter what they do in life, to participate in the well-being of humanity and the planet. Don't let a year go by knowing you didn't make an effort to do something - no matter how small - outside your own problems and drama.
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So, two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.
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I started making music with my band in the '80s, so I am more product of post punk than classical music, and I have always carried on this way.
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The blessing of being able to write music and let music speak for itself is you let the melodies and let the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people.
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A test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. Even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. But the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.
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Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable because it reverses the direction of tradition.
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I think it's difficult to do fashion for men, because either you become very over-homosexual fashion or very boring fashion. You don't want a boy who looks 15 in a little pair of shorts with some strange art... But to see just a jacket and tie is boring.
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I've always been more of a camera hog than anything, and it's just another way to get it all out!
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I used to listen to 'Perfect Day' by Hoku every single day in high school! 'On this perfect day, nothin' standin' in my way... Don't you try to rain on my perfect day.' It pumped me up when I was feeling down or defeated, whether it was from the cool kids making me feel left out or feeling overwhelmed with homework and mean teachers.
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Now that I'm gone, I tell you, don't smoke.
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If Obama fails to win reelection, let the blame be first laid at the door of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who at a pivotal point threw gasoline on the flames by comparing angry American citizens to Nazis.
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To say that people would cease to come to California if they would have to pay more taxes is to underestimate the advantages of being in California - mightily.
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Awards are so unnecessary because I think we get so much out of our work just by doing it. The work is a reward in itself.
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I think the fame aspect, there was definitely a period when I had to get used to it. My family had to get used to it, too. It's exciting.
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I always try to start out with some type of goal. Then I work backward and think of what I need to do to get there, and give myself smaller goals that are more immediate.
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My grandma passed away from cancer, and actually, when I was 18, I had an experience with melanoma – it's in the family. I had that experience where everything comes into perspective. It's the weirdest thing, 'cause you're like, 'It will never happen to me,' and when it does, it's like, 'OK, wow.'
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Comedy is a reaction to the world, and I think it really helps to be an outsider. I've always been very interested in people's behavior, to the point of being obsessed - seeing what people needed and reading them, I think that's the backbone of comedy.
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'After 17' is a song I wrote when my first daughter went to college, so that's kind of where I'm at in that part of my life. If you listen to that song and knew anything about me, you'd say, 'Oh yeah, he wrote that about his daughter,' but I try not to write them that they are so specific that they wouldn't apply to anybody that has a child.