Deke > Deke's Quotes

“There is more beauty in truth, even if it is a dreadful beauty. The storytellers at the city gate twist life so that it looks sweet to the lazy and the stupid and the weak, and this only strengthens their infirmities and teaches nothing, cures nothing, nor does it let the heart soar.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

“Good artists copy; great artists steal.”
― Pablo Picasso

“And I like Strauss and Mozart and all that, but the priceless gift that African Americans gave the world when they were still in slavery was a gift so great that it is now almost the only reason many foreigners still like us at least a little bit. That specific remedy for the worldwide epidemic of depression is a gift called the blues. All pop music today-jazz, swing, be-bop, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Stones, rock and roll, hip hop and on and on- is derived from the blues.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

“If I cannot fly, let me sing.”
― Stephen Sondheim

“Laurie got offended that I used the word "puke." But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like.”
― Jack Handy

“Oh right, so this is like a thing now”
― Kay Cannon

“A great democracy has got to be progressive or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy.”
― Theodore Roosevelt, New Nationalism Speech by Teddy Roosevelt

“I'm not saying you have to learn Barbershop to be a great a cappella singer... but I am promising you if you do sing Barbershop, you'll be better than if you don't.”
― Deke Sharon

“Great emotional singing isn't a destination, it's a journey, one to be taken time and again to different places with different moods and different audiences.”
― Deke Sharon, The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing

“You can't create great vocal harmony without interpersonal harmony.”
― Deke Sharon, The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing

“There is nothing more compelling than another person.”
― Deke Sharon, The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing

“The human voice was the first instrument and remains the most powerful and effective method of musical creation and emotional transference.”
― Deke Sharon, The Heart of Vocal Harmony: Emotional Expression in Group Singing

“There are times in life to play it safe. I'm sure you can think of several. Music is not one of them.”
― Deke Sharon, A Cappella

“The most important thing is that singing is communication, and you need to say something honest and real.”
― Deke Sharon, A Cappella