Top 18 Most Famous Aretha Franklin Quotes (BEST)


















8 Thought-Provoking Aretha Franklin Quotes
“You cannot define a person on just one thing. You can’t just forget all these wonderful and good things that a person has done because one thing didn’t come off the way you thought it should come off.”
Aretha Franklin


“I’ve been around long enough for people to know who I am and what my contributions are. They know me as more than just an artist. I think they know me as a woman as well.”
Aretha Franklin


“There were certain restaurants that I could not eat at. We bought groceries then ate them in the car. When we’d stop to get gas we had to go to certain gas stations because we could not use the restrooms at all of them. We could only use the ones at Gulf. We’ve come a long way. Because of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, my life is forever changed.”
Aretha Franklin

6 Aretha Franklin Quotes About Respect






4 Aretha Franklin Quotes About Love




10 Aretha Franklin Quotes About Music
“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.”
Aretha Franklin


“If a song’s about something I’ve experienced or that could’ve happened to me it’s good. But if it’s alien to me, I couldn’t lend anything to it. Because that’s what soul is all about.”
Aretha Franklin


“My mentor was Clara Ward of the famous Ward gospel singers of Philadelphia. And my dad was my coach. He coached me. And just my natural love for music is what drove me.”
Aretha Franklin


“‘Rocking With Leroy’ used to come on when I would come in from school. It was a very, very big R&B broadcast of the day when I was a young girl. And I would come in and put my books down, lie down on the floor, and listen to ‘Rocking With Leroy.’.”
Aretha Franklin
12 Aretha Franklin Quotes on Singing and Performing
“I sing to the realists, people who accept it like it is. I express problems. There are tears when it’s sad and smiles when it’s happy. It seems simple to me, but for some people, I guess feelin’ takes courage.”
Aretha Franklin


“Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.”
Aretha Franklin


“We didn’t have music videos. You weren’t an overnight sensation. You had to work at it and learn your craft: how to take care of your voice, how to pace your concerts, all that trial and error.”
Aretha Franklin


“I had not been in the jazz environment, having been brought up in the church. But once I got to New York, and I was signed to perform at The Village Gate and the Vanguard and clubs like that, and these – the Vanguard was one of the most elite, if not the most elite, jazz club out there.”
Aretha Franklin


2 Aretha Franklin Quotes on Women Empowerment


3 Aretha Franklin Quotes About Gospel



5 Aretha Franklin Quotes on Spirituality
“I loved going to church. I enjoyed being a part of the choir and just doing things in and around the church. But as a young girl, I certainly enjoyed watching and listening to my dad.”
Aretha Franklin




7 Aretha Franklin Quotes About Other Artists
“I haven’t had the occasion to meet Adele. She lives in England. So when I’m flying, or when she comes over here, perhaps we’ll have a chance. I think she’s a very fine singer, a very strong writer and performer.”
Aretha Franklin


“I love producing, writing. I rarely write with other writers unless I have a real great respect for them. Like Burt Bacharach, or Carole Sager, or Stevie Wonder. Somebody like Smokey – like that. Otherwise, I choose to write alone.”
Aretha Franklin


“Sam Cooke had a huge influence on me. He left the gospel field at one point and went into the secular, and he had this huge hit, ‘You Send Me.’ Irma, my older sister, and I heard ‘You Send Me’ on the radio while we were driving through the South one night. We had to stop the car. We got out and danced around the car out on the highway.”
Aretha Franklin
13 Aretha Franklin Quotes That Will Make You Think
“I used to have hamburgers coming and going, especially when I was on the road. Now, occasionally I will still have that quarter pounder because I love fast food, but you have to keep it to a minimum. I am now opting for salads and just healthier lunches.”
Aretha Franklin


“52 years of recording for other people. I thought at this point, it’s time for you to record for yourself. So that way there wouldn’t be so many spoons in the soup. There would just be one Aretha spoon in the soup.”
Aretha Franklin


“It is ever fabulous. I mean, fabulous. I’ve been so blessed. I’m most thankful for how good God has been to me. When you receive something like the Presidential Medal of Freedom, wow. After God’s grace, I’m so grateful for good friends, loyal fans and the love of the music. I treasure real people and I know the ones who have hung in there with me and I am truly thankful.”
Aretha Franklin






(MUST READ) Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin
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