Top 25 Hugh Masekela Quotes

I’m not a Christian. My participation in music is so full blast, 24 hours a day. And that’s my religion. I think I’m as spiritual as the pope, because I spend as much time in my spirituality as he does.

Watching a Kirk Douglas movie, ‘Young Man With A Horn,’ made me want to be a trumpet player.

I lived for music since I could think.

Once in a while, I treat myself to a cheesecake or carrot cake.

If I don’t make heritage visible and the strength of mother tongue important for my grandchildren, it scares me that they might say in 20 years from now, ‘Well, it is rumoured that we used to be Africans long ago.’ And in many urban areas, it’s already happening.

Africa has been troubled for a long time – well, the world has been troubled ever since I was born.

Just because Nelson has been released doesn’t mean the government has done us any favors. We have nothing to be grateful for. The government destroyed our country, destroyed our people. If anybody needs amnesty, it is the government.

When I left South Africa in 1960 I was 20 years old. I wanted to try to get an education, and music education was not available for me in South Africa.

I’ve got to where am in life not because of something I brought to the world but through something I found – the wealth of African culture.

I want to see Nelson walking down the streets of South Africa; I want to see him walking hand-in-hand with Winnie Mandela.

One of the greatest things that could really happen to Africa is for us to get rid of the borders and for the leadership not to think that the countries belong to them… We didn’t create the borders to start with.

I don’t think anybody has ever been able to live up to what they promised. I don’t know a government that has ever been successful at that because once they get into power, things change and the world is controlled also by business now.

I live a very enjoyable life. I understand what moderation is.

I always make the joke that I go home, to one of my homes, to go and do laundry so I can go on the road again.

It’s obvious that the rest of the world loves high African culture – African culture, period.

In my view, Africa’s real problems are cultural.

The thing that is being lost is heritage. In Africa, religion and advertisement and television and media hype have gotten Africans to where they are convinced psychologically that their own heritage is heathen, pagan, barbaric, savage, primitive.

I don’t think any musician ever thinks about making a statement. I think everybody goes into music loving it.

I got possessed by music as an infant.

When I left South Africa there were 10 million people – when I came back there were more than 40 million. I had to learn how to get to the highways because when I left where there were no highways.

I’m travelling more than ever. I don’t have the answer as to why, but the demand seems to have grown as I’ve got older.

I’ve always stood on one fact – that all over the world, there are only two things, the Establishment and the poor people. The poor people are a massive majority and across the world they are exploited in different kinds of ways. The Establishment depends on exploiting raw materials and the poor.

I don’t think what I do is influenced by suffering. I come from a talented people who are prolific in music and dance.

I have a major respect for nature. I’m an environmentalist.

I am a forward-looking person and live in the moment to build for the future.