Billy Bragg > Quotes

“A virtue never tested is no virtue at all.

- Must I Paint You a Picture”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Freedom is merely privilege extended
Unless enjoyed by one and all.

- The Internationale”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Capitalism is like fire: keep it under control and it will give you heat and light; leave it untended and it will consume everything in its path.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“The revolution is just a T-shirt away.

- Waiting for the Great Leap Forward”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“The temptation
To take the precious things we have apart
To see how they work
Must be resisted for they never fit together again.

- Must I Paint You a Picture”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Because the space race is over
And I can't help but feel that we've all grown up too soon.

- The Space Race Is Over”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“If no one seems to understand
Start your own revolution and cut out the middleman

- Waiting for the Great Leap Forward”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Freedom of speech does not guarantee you a platform from which to air your opinions. You may hold trenchant views on a number of subjects but the fact that The Times won't print your ruminations doesn't mean you are being oppressed...While freedom of speech gives you the right to dissent and, yes, to offend, it does not give you the right to abuse.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“The challenge that faced the English in the seventeenth century was how to curb the absolute power of the monarch. In the twenty-first century, it is the markets that have taken on the mantle of absolutism, placing themselves above the jurisdiction of national governments. Holding the king to account was unprecedented and went against custom and tradition - holding the global markets to account is just as audacious and just as necessary.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“How can you lie there and think of England
When you don't even know who's in the team?

- Greetings to the New Brunette”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“And although the world was just the same as it had always been as I travelled home on the Tube that evening, my view of it had been changed forever.”
― Billy Bragg, The Progressive Patriot

“Those of us who'd been through the cleansing fire of punk rock expected a little bit more, I think...”
― Billy Bragg

“Our ability to have a respectful disagreement with our opponents has been torn to shreds by market forces in a deliberate act of irresponsibility.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“Seems like nothing goes right
For the world oh that we were born in
But the horizon is bright
Because yonder comes the morning in”
― Billy Bragg

“He was trapped in a haircut he no longer believed in.

- King James Version”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Wir müssen Liberalität, Gleichheit und Verantwortlichkeit wieder miteinander verbinden und die individuelle Handlungsfähigkeit wiederherstellen, die durch die drei Dimensionen der Freiheit erzeugt wird.”
― Billy Bragg, Die drei Dimensionen der Freiheit: Ein politischer Weckruf

“Verantwortlichkeit ist der Schlüssel für eine von den Bürgern getragende Revolution.”
― Billy Bragg, Die drei Dimensionen der Freiheit: Ein politischer Weckruf

“Disputes drive clicks, so every interviewer tries to sniff out that ‘gotcha’ moment that will light up social media. In this charged atmosphere, policies come a poor second to personalities.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“War!
What is it good for?
It's good for business.

- North Sea Bubble”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Traditionally, the Tories have regarded the rights of others as placing an unneccessary restrictions on their own freedom.”
― Billy Bragg, The Progressive Patriot

“There is no real substitute
For a ball struck squarely and firmly.

- A Lover Sings”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics

“Responsibility requires that we maintain authority over our own behaviour; accountability gives us a degree of authority over the behaviour of others.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“The challenge that faced the English in the seventeenth century was how to curb the power of an absolute monarch. In the twenty-first century, it is the markets that have taken on the mantle of absolutism, placing themselves about the jurisdiction of national governments.”
― Billy Bragg, The Three Dimensions of Freedom

“I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo.

- Greetings to the New Brunette”
― Billy Bragg, A Lover Sings: Selected Lyrics