Eric Clapton Quotes

Image, I tried when I was 13, when my grandparents gave me an acoustic

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I tried when I was 13, when my grandparents gave me an acoustic guitar, and I tried for a year. It hurt so much to play. I mean, the fingertips hurt so much, I gave up.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Risk is trying to control something you are powerless over.

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Risk is trying to control something you are powerless over.

—Eric Clapton

Image, It’s taken me to be an older guy, an old man, to

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It's taken me to be an older guy, an old man, to have an old man's voice. Because I only liked old men's voices. As a kid, I didn't like pip-squeaked singers.

—Eric Clapton

Image, But I did go to music really early on, even when I

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But I did go to music really early on, even when I was 4 or 5, I was responding to music probably in ways other kids were not.

—Eric Clapton

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Image, My driving philosophy about making music is that you can reduce it

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My driving philosophy about making music is that you can reduce it all down to one note if that note is played with the right kind of sincerity.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I’ve always wanted the sound of Muddy Waters’ early records – only louder

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I've always wanted the sound of Muddy Waters' early records - only louder

—Eric Clapton

Image, Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.

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Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I saw you walking with your other man today. If I catch

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I saw you walking with your other man today. If I catch you one more time, I'm gonna blow you both away.

—Eric Clapton

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Image, I am, and always will be, a blues guitarist.

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I am, and always will be, a blues guitarist.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I did play a lot of fingerstyle when I first started playing.

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I did play a lot of fingerstyle when I first started playing. I could never really find the right combination of flatpick or fingerpick, so playing fingerstyle is really the easiest way - though it's quite strenuous on the fingertips.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Having lovers and friends is all good and fine But I don’t

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Having lovers and friends is all good and fine But I don't like yours and you don't like mine.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Up until I became a father, it was all about self-obsession. But

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Up until I became a father, it was all about self-obsession. But then I learned exactly what it's all about: the delight of being a servant.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I mean, it didn’t matter to me that there were people, it

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I mean, it didn't matter to me that there were people, it didn't matter that I was shy Just the sound was so captivating that it helped me to get rid of those inhibitions.

—Eric Clapton

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Image, It’s been up to me to inspire me.

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It's been up to me to inspire me.

—Eric Clapton

Image, In my lowest moments, the only reason I didn’t commit suicide was

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In my lowest moments, the only reason I didn't commit suicide was that I knew I wouldn't be able to drink any more if I was dead.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I know there will be no more tears in heaven.

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I know there will be no more tears in heaven.

—Eric Clapton

Image, And if I don’t be there by morning, she’ll know that I must’ve spent the night in jail.

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And if I don't be there by morning, she'll know that I must've spent the night in jail.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Only ask and you will get what you are needing, the rest is up to you.

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Only ask and you will get what you are needing, the rest is up to you.

—Eric Clapton

Image, All I am certain of right now is that I don’t want

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All I am certain of right now is that I don't want to go anywhere, and that's not bad for someone who always used to run.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I never met Johnny Rotten, and I didn’t want to meet Johnny Rotten.

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I never met Johnny Rotten, and I didn't want to meet Johnny Rotten.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Plant your love and let it grow.

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Plant your love and let it grow.

—Eric Clapton

Image, This moment in time, on this tour, you know, I’m discovering a

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This moment in time, on this tour, you know, I'm discovering a lot of new things. And to be 45 and doing that, it's a mixture of pleasure and pain, I can assure you.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I think I deliberately sold out a couple of times. I picked

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I think I deliberately sold out a couple of times. I picked the songs that I thought would do well in the marketplace, even though I didn't really love the song.

—Eric Clapton

Image, My original interests and intentions in guitar playing were primarily created on

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My original interests and intentions in guitar playing were primarily created on quality of tone, for instance, the way the instrument could be made to echo or simulate the human voice.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I can’t play long solos anymore without boring myself.

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I can't play long solos anymore without boring myself.

—Eric Clapton

Image, One of the most beneficial things I’ve ever learned is how to keep my mouth shut.

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One of the most beneficial things I've ever learned is how to keep my mouth shut.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I’d love to knock an audience cold with one note, but what

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I'd love to knock an audience cold with one note, but what do you do for the rest of the evening?

—Eric Clapton

Image, I couldn’t believe how good Jimi Hendrix was It was a really

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I couldn't believe how good Jimi Hendrix was It was a really difficult thing for me to deal with, but I just had to surrender and say, 'This is fantastic.'

—Eric Clapton

Image, I like solitude. I like the anomalous life. I like a quiet life.

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I like solitude. I like the anomalous life. I like a quiet life.

—Eric Clapton

Image, To sing in a lower key is harder work. You have to use your diaphragm more.

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To sing in a lower key is harder work. You have to use your diaphragm more.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Musically, he was like an old man in a boy’s skin.

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Musically, he was like an old man in a boy's skin.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I have no problem with religion, and I grew up with a

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I have no problem with religion, and I grew up with a strong curiosity about spiritual matters, but my searching took me away from church and community worship to the internal journey. Before my recovery began, I found my God in music and the arts, with writers like Hermann Hesse, and musicians like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter.

—Eric Clapton

Image, My definition of Blues is that it’s a musical form which is

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My definition of Blues is that it's a musical form which is very disciplined and structured coupled with a state of mind, and you can have either of those things but it's the two together that make it what it is. And you need to be a student for one, and a human being for the other, but those things alone don't do it.

—Eric Clapton

Image, It sounds strange for me to be saying this, but I’ve come

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It sounds strange for me to be saying this, but I've come around to the idea that sex really is for procreation.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Loose ladies on the road will drive you crazy, every no, becomes a maybe.

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Loose ladies on the road will drive you crazy, every no, becomes a maybe.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn’t a very good guitar, most good

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Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn't a very good guitar, most good guitars have got thrust rods in the necks that you can adjust or that'll keep them in shape, you know keep them straight. This one just, well it turned into a bow and arrow after a couple of months.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I found my God in music and the arts, with writers like

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I found my God in music and the arts, with writers like Hermann Hesse, and musicians like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Little Walter. In some way, in some form, my God was always there, but now I have learned to talk to him.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Yeah, it is, because it’s a real discovery of your inner resources,

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Yeah, it is, because it's a real discovery of your inner resources, you know. That's what my character is all about and what my playing is all about. But to get up there and just go inside and draw out something that makes you feel good first and foremost.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I always respected that B.B. sees music in a very open, free way.

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I always respected that B.B. sees music in a very open, free way.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I just like the company of beautiful women. I have a weakness in that department.

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I just like the company of beautiful women. I have a weakness in that department.

—Eric Clapton

Image, There are people these days who can do things on the guitar

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There are people these days who can do things on the guitar which are beyond my reach. There's one guy who plays with Queen who can do things I would dream of doing. I sincerely mean that.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Music will always find its way to us, with or without business,

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Music will always find its way to us, with or without business, politics, religion, or any other bullshit attached.

—Eric Clapton

Image, From the beginning, I knew intuitively that if nothing else, music was

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From the beginning, I knew intuitively that if nothing else, music was safe, and that nobody could tell me anything about it. Music didn't need a middleman, whereas all the other things in school needed some kind of explanation.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Like a fool, I fell in love with you, Turned my whole world upside down

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Like a fool, I fell in love with you, Turned my whole world upside down

—Eric Clapton

Image, Music became a healer for me. And I learned to listen with

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Music became a healer for me. And I learned to listen with all my being. I found that it could wipe away all fear and confusion...

—Eric Clapton

Image, My identity shifted when I got into #‎ recovery . That’s who I am

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My identity shifted when I got into #‎ recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have that identity than to be a musician or anything else, because it keeps me in a manageable size. When I'm down on the ground with my disease-which I'm happy to have-it gets me in tune. It gives me a spiritual anchor. Don't ask me to explain.

—Eric Clapton

Image, But the guitar, when you think about it, is the most versatile,

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But the guitar, when you think about it, is the most versatile, really. I mean you can pick it up and take it with you wherever you go.

—Eric Clapton

Image, The point of being at home is to be with my family as much as possible.

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The point of being at home is to be with my family as much as possible.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I admire Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather, but they might blow

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I admire Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather, but they might blow me away quite easily if we were to jam together.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Given the choice between accomplishing something and just lying around, I’d rather

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Given the choice between accomplishing something and just lying around, I'd rather lie around. No contest.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Well, I think part of my gift, or if I have one, is that I love listening.

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Well, I think part of my gift, or if I have one, is that I love listening.

—Eric Clapton

Image, You can’t mastermind everything. You’ll go crazy. Just show up and play.

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You can't mastermind everything. You'll go crazy. Just show up and play.

—Eric Clapton

Image, I used to do crazy things that people would bail me out

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I used to do crazy things that people would bail me out of, and I'm just grateful that I survived. But the music got very lost; I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't really care. I was more into just having a good time, and I think it showed.

—Eric Clapton

Image, The music scene as I look at it today is a little

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The music scene as I look at it today is a little different from when I was growing up. The percentages are roughly the same - 95 percent rubbish, 5 percent pure.

—Eric Clapton

Image, ‘My Father’s Eyes’ is very personal. I realized that the closest I

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'My Father's Eyes' is very personal. I realized that the closest I ever came to looking in my father's eyes was when I looked into my son's eyes.

—Eric Clapton

Image, It is painful to relive things that have caused emotional crises or

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It is painful to relive things that have caused emotional crises or whatever and find ways to express that musically.

—Eric Clapton

Image, Give me a guitar and I’ll play; give me a stage and

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Give me a guitar and I'll play; give me a stage and I'll perform; give me an auditorium and I'll fill it.

—Eric Clapton