A curated register of quotes from under-represented voices.

“ I'll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear. ”

— Nina Simone

“ I never thought of being blind as a disadvantage, and I never thought of being black as a disadvantage. I am what I am. I love me! ”

— Stevie Wonder, 2012

“ It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live. ”

— Nina Simone

“ I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend. ”

— Freddie Mercury

“ I am Puerto Rican, I am Caribbean, and my music, my culture, my country's history run through my veins, from plena to reggaeton. ”

— Bad Bunny

“ My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it. ”

— Kid Cudi, 2016

“ Growing up in the Western world, there are so many times where I'm like, Oh, I'm not white. My name is not that easy to say. I'm not as relatable as a white person. ”

— Rina Sawayama, 2020

“ Small changes end up making a big difference. It's about being a lot nicer to each other. It's just saying, 'Treat people with kindness.' ”

— Harry Styles

“ Everybody supports women until a woman's doing better than you. ”

— Sofia Isella, 2023

“ I think ageing is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person that you always should have been. ”

— David Bowie

“ For the longest time I was trying to be white and fit in, that's also fine at some points in your life, I had to do that to survive in certain spaces. ”

— Rina Sawayama, 2020

“ People are just afraid of things too much. Afraid of things that don't necessarily merit fear. ”

— Frank Ocean, 2012

“ You're trying to take all this misunderstanding and loathing, and you're trying to turn it into love, which is the wonderful thing that happens when you're trying to make music out of the rough, hard, bad things. ”

— Bruce Springsteen, 2018

“ I can't wake you up. You can wake you up. I can't cure you. You can cure you. ”

— John Lennon, 1980

“ Wherever we are, this is home. Wherever I go, I'll always be Puerto Rican. ”

— Bad Bunny, 2025

“ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ”

— Maya Angelou, 1969

“ We have to protect our body and our mind. It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head. ”

— Simone Biles, 2021

“ It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. And you can get through this. ”

— Ian Wright, 2021

“ Your silence will not protect you. ”

— Audre Lorde, 1977

“ The world needs all kinds of minds. ”

— Temple Grandin, 2010

“ I do not believe that any ethnic, racial or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. ”

— Sonia Sotomayor, 2009