30 Johnny Cash Quotes On Love, Life, & Music

John R. “Johnny” Cash was a Grammy Award-winning American musician, songwriter, actor and author. He is one of the best country music singers and best-selling music artists of all time. Here are the best Johnny Cash quotes and song lyrics on love, life, God, and music that will give you a brand new perspective on life.

Cash is a music legend who has made enduring contributions to country music and various music genres including blues, rock and roll, folk, and gospel. His profound influence extends beyond the boundaries of a single genre.

Both fans and critics appreciate his distinctive deep, baritone voice and introspective lyrics. His emotive quality of music resonates well with the audiences, making him an iconic figure in the world of music.

In his music, he explores themes of sorrow, redemption, prison, moral tribulation, and death, that reflect the complexities of his challenging upbringing.

Throughout his career that spanned over five decades, Cash has produced timeless hit songs including I Walk the Line, Hurt, Ring of Fire, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Folsom Prison Blues, Understand Your Man, etc.

His rebellious persona and the fact that he always wore black clothes when he performed live earned him the nickname “The Man in Black.”

His resilience in the face of hardships, his down-to-earth nature, and his advocacy for the downtrodden make him truly a cultural icon.

In honor of this creative genius, we’ve curated the most famous Johnny Cash quotes and song lyrics that will inspire you to never give up and keep working hard to pursue your dreams.

Top 10 Johnny Cash Quotes

1. “Life is rough so you gotta be tough.” — Johnny Cash         

   
2. “Life and love go on, let the music play.” — Johnny Cash                

   

3. “God gives us life and takes us away as he sees fit.” — Johnny Cash                                                                 

   

4. “You have to be what you are. Whatever you are, you gotta be it.” — Johnny Cash   

   

5. “Trust gets you killed, love gets you hurt and being real gets you hated.” — Johnny Cash                  

   

6. “It’s good to know who hates you and it is good to be hated by the right people.” — Johnny Cash                       

   

7. “Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money.” — Johnny Cash      

   

8. “Life is the question and life is the answer, and God is the reason and love is the way.” — Johnny Cash 

   

9. “All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate… I choose love.” — Johnny Cash
10. “If you aren’t gonna say exactly how and what you feel, you might as well not say anything at all.” — Johnny Cash

Quotes By Johnny Cash

1. “When God forgave me, I figured I’d better do it too.” — Johnny Cash
2. “I’m not bitter. Why should I be bitter? I’m thrilled to death with life.” — Johnny Cash
3. “What have I become, my sweetest friend. Everyone I know goes away, in the end.” — Johnny Cash
4. “Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight.” — Johnny Cash
5. “Being a Christian isn’t for sissies. It takes a real man to live for God – a lot more man than to live for the devil.” — Johnny Cash
6. “There is a spiritual side to me that goes real deep, but I confess right up front that I’m the biggest sinner of them all.” — Johnny Cash
7. “There’s a lot of things blamed on me that never happened. But then, there’s a lot of things that I did that I never got caught at.” — Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash Quotes

1. “Stop your ears and close your eyes and try to find the face of love.” — Johnny Cash
2. “I found out that there weren’t too many limitations, if I did it my way.” — Johnny Cash
3. “Because you’re mine, I walk the line. And then the words just naturally flowed. It was an easy song to write.” —Johnny Cash
4. “Of emotions, of love, of breakups, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.” — Johnny Cash
5. “How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man.” — Johnny Cash
6. “I took the easy way, and to an extent I regret that. Still though, the way we did it was honest. We played it and sang it the way we felt it, and there’s a lot to be said for that.” — Johnny Cash
7. “You can ask the people around me. I don’t give up. I don’t give up… and it’s not out of frustration and desperation that I say I don’t give up. I don’t give up because I don’t give up. I don’t believe in it.” — Johnny Cash
8. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” — Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash Quotes & Lyrics From Songs

1. “The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars.” — Johnny Cash, The Beast In Me         

   

2. “You’re so heavenly minded, you’re no earthly good.” — Johnny Cash, No Earthly Good
3. “Flesh and blood needs flesh and blood, and you’re the one I need.” — Johnny Cash, Flesh And Blood
4. “The ones that you’re calling wild/ are going to be the leaders in a little while.” — Johnny Cash, What Is Truth      

   

5. “Let me tell you, Mr. teacher when you say you’ll make me right, in five hundred years of fighting not one Indian turned white.” — Johnny Cash, Drums

More Johnny Cash Quotes

1. “I learn from my mistakes. It’s a very painful way to learn, but without pain, the old saying is, there’s no gain.” — Johnny Cash
2. “People call me wild. Not really though, I’m not. I guess I’ve never been normal, not what you call Establishment. I’m country.” — Johnny Cash
3. “You miss a lot of opportunities by making mistakes, but that’s part of it: knowing that you’re not shut out forever, and that there’s a goal you still can reach.” — Johnny Cash
4. “There’s no way around grief and loss: you can dodge all you want, but sooner or later you just have to go into it, through it, and, hopefully, come out the other side. The world you find there will never be the same as the world you left.” — Johnny Cash

More About Johnny Cash’s Life

Johnny Cash, an American music artist whose work broadened the scope of country and western music. He is one of the most important musicians of the 20th century.

His outstanding music in various genres earned him the rare honor of being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Cash introduced himself with his song Hello, I’m Johnny Cash, followed by Folsom Prison Blues, one of his signature songs.

After which he recorded many other numbers including One Piece at a Time, A Boy Named Sue and a duet with his future wife June called “Jackson”.

In the later stage of his career, Cash covered songs by contemporary rock artists including Rusty Cage by Soundgarden, Hurt by Nine Inch Nails, and Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode.

In 2005, filmmakers adapted the story of Johnny Cash’s life and career into a feature film titled “Walk the Line,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you will enjoy reading the above Johnny Cash quotes and song lyrics from his music albums and daily life experiences.

What are your favorite Johnny Cash quotes and sayings listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.

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