Sun Ra Quotes & Sayings

Freedom of Speech is Freedom of Music. — Sun Ra

I'm not a minister, I'm not a philosopher, I'm not a politician, I'm in another category. — Sun Ra

Somewhere in the other side of nowhere is a place in space beyond time where the Gods of mythology dwell ... These gods dwell in their mythocracies as opposed to your theocracies, democracies, and monocracies. They dwell in a magic world. These Gods can even offer you immortality. — Sun Ra

Proper evaluations of words and letters in their phonetic and associated sense can bring the people of earth to the clear light of pure cosmic wisdom. — Sun Ra

Bach and Beethoven, all of them, they had to write something to please the upper structure, those with money and power. — Sun Ra

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country among his own people. — Sun Ra

All these other nations seem to appreciate what I'm doing and they want me to play the furthest out things. — Sun Ra

I'm not a prophet. I'm a destiny-changer. It's all right to prophesy, but the best thing to do is change things, if you've got the power. — Sun Ra

But recently I began to feel that maybe I wouldn't be able to do what I want to do and need to do with American musicians, who are imprisoned behind these bars; music's got these bars and measures you know. — Sun Ra

We hold this myth to be potential
Not self-evident but equational
Another Dimension
Of another kind of Living Life — Sun Ra

The music is not part of this planet in a sense that the spirit of it is about happiness. Most musicians play earth things about what they know, but I found out that they are mostly unhappy and frustrated, and that creeps over into their music. — Sun Ra

If death is the absence of life, then death's death is life. — Sun Ra

If you are not a myth whose reality are you? If you are not a reality whose myth are you? — Sun Ra

Today's symphonic music is sponsored by the upper structures of society. — Sun Ra

Behold the pre-prophetic symbols of the planes of Never. Behold, behold this thisness! This isness. — Sun Ra

If you're not mad at the world, you don't have what it takes — Sun Ra

First of all I express sincerity. There's also that sense of humor, by which people sometimes learn to laugh about themselves. I mean, the situation is so serious that the people could go crazy because of it. They need to smile and realize how ridiculous everything is. A race without a sense of humor is in bad shape. A race needs clowns. In earlier days people knew that. Kings always had a court jester around. In that way he was always reminded how ridiculous things are. I believe that nations too should have jesters, in the congress, near the president, everywhere ... You could call me the jester of the Creator. The whole world, all the disease and misery, it's all ridiculous. — Sun Ra

The world thinks that music is a commercial commodity. I'm glad that is not my code. — Sun Ra

Music can be the bridge to understanding, but people have to get some knowledge. — Sun Ra

At first there was nothingthen nothing turned itself inside-out and became something — Sun Ra

Music is a language, you see, a universal language. — Sun Ra

The light of the future casts the shadows of tomorrow. — Sun Ra

I see people as they really are from a pure point of view. — Sun Ra

Those who will not dance will have to be shot — Sun Ra

I'm playing dark history. It's beyond black. I'm dealing with the dark things of the cosmos. — Sun Ra

The outer space beings are my brothers. They sent me here. They already
know my music. — Sun Ra

It's such a tragedy that man endures in killing his brother and his own kind, putting him in jail and insane asylums, letting him lay out in the street. — Sun Ra

I use music as a medium to talk to people. — Sun Ra

Space is not only high, it's low. It's a bottomless pit. — Sun Ra

Music is a plane of wisdom, because music is a universal language, it is a language of honor, it is a noble precept, a gift of the Airy Kingdom, music is air, a universal existence common to all the living. — Sun Ra

The trouble with the people on this planet is they refuse to think they refuse to believe anything except what they know — Sun Ra

In the world of tomorrow, the new man will 'think' the place he wants to go, then his mind will take him there. — Sun Ra

The earth cannot move without music. The earth moves in a certain rhythm, a certain sound, a certain note. When the music stops the earth will stop and everything upon it will die. — Sun Ra

It takes a motion to notion
and it takes a notion to motion. — Sun Ra

What I'm dealing with is so vast and great that it can't be called the truth. It's above the truth. — Sun Ra

And then when I went to Chicago, that's when I had these outer space experiences and went to the other planets. — Sun Ra

Not too many people in America know about me, but all of Europe knows about me. — Sun Ra

Well, actually, I'm a psychic being, and you know, we don't concern ourselves with being born; we concern ourselves with being eternal; we deal with the spirit. — Sun Ra

I always say it's not my Arkestra, it belongs to some other force which wants certain things, to reach people. — Sun Ra

The planet is asleep and it's the fault of musicians who are untrue to themselves. — Sun Ra

The possible has been tried and failed. Now it's time to try the impossible. — Sun Ra

Heaven is where you'll be when you are okay right where you are. — Sun Ra

I'm not into division. I'm into coordination, discipline and tradition. — Sun Ra

The real aim of music is to co-ordinate the minds of the people into an intelligent reach for a better world and an intelligent approach to the living future. — Sun Ra

I am a musician, but I'm another type of musician. — Sun Ra

Art does not begin with imitation, but with discipline. — Sun Ra

People have set that up as a standard, not to recognize a prophet in his own country. — Sun Ra

Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you. — Sun Ra

With music you can express any emotion, you can paint pictures ... — Sun Ra

The world is in such a bad condition that if they don't find what you call a redeemer, every man, woman and child on this planet will be eliminated. — Sun Ra

I think of myself as a complete mystery. To myself. — Sun Ra

Sometimes in the ignorance I feel the meaning Invincible invisible wisdom, And I commune with intuitive instinct With the force that made life be And since it made life be It is greater than life And since it let extinction be It is greater than extinction. I commune with feelings more than prayer — Sun Ra

I never wanted to be a part of planet Earth, but I am compelled to be here, so anything I do for this planet is because the Master-Creator of the Universe is making me do it. I am of another dimension. I am on this planet because people need me. — Sun Ra

A world is in danger, this planet is in great danger! — Sun Ra

Music is a language, a universal language. — Sun Ra

I have many names; some call me Mr. Ra, others call me Mr. Re, you can call me Mr. Mystery. — Sun Ra