PART 2 * * * 'THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE’ (7 Jun. 1958 – 21 Apr. 2016) * * * PRINCE’S QUOTES: "ART IS ABOUT BUILDING A NEW FOUNDATION, not just laying something on top of what’s already there. *** Money won’t buy you happiness, but it’ll pay for the search. * * * I learned from Jimi Hendrix. They all wanted him to do the tricks, and at the end of his career, he just wanted to play. I lived longer than he did, and I can see how those pressures can really play with your head. * * * When you sit down to write something, there should be no guidelines. The main idea is not supposed to be, ‘How many different ways can we sell it?’ That’s so far away from the true spirit of what music is. * * * Success can also cause misery. The trick is not to be surprised when you discover it doesn't bring you all the happiness and answers you thought it would. * * * Every day I feel is a blessing from God. And I consider it a new beginning. Yeah, everything is beautiful. * * * The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can. * * * It’s a hurtful place, the world in of itself. We don’t need to add to it. And we’re in a place now where we all need one another, and it’s going to get tougher. * * * Sometimes it takes years for a person to become an overnight success. * * * There is something that happens when you get emancipated. You approach life differently. You eat differently. You respect yourself more. You respect the gift you have been given. * * * A real friend or mentor isn't on your payroll. * * * I am a firm believer in reincarnation for people who either have more work to do, or have so much debt to pay back that they have to be here. * * * When I found out that there were eight Presidents before George Washington, I wanted to smack somebody. * * * Sometimes it [music in my head] is a curse, but it's also a blessing. It is a gift that I am completely grateful for. That's why I keep making music, because I don't want to be ungrateful for the gift. * * * All these non-singing, non-dancing, wish-I-had-me-some-clothes fools who tell me my albums suck. Why should I pay any attention to them? * * * Hip hop is very diverse, but if you only focus on one aspect of it, then what you get is this image of Black America that is completely contrary to what actually goes on. * * * I try not to repeat myself. It's the hardest thing in the world to do - there are only so many notes one human being can master. * * * Record contracts are just like - I'm gonna say the word… 'Slavery.' * * * I like constructive criticism from smart people. * * * Despite everything, no one can dictate who you are to other people. * * * Technology is cool, but you’ve got to use it as opposed to letting it use you. * * * There's a dark side to everything. * * * All realities, all dimensions are open to me! * * * I’ve always understood the two to be intertwined: Sexuality and Spirituality. That never changed. * * * LOVE ISN’T LOVE UNTIL IT’S PAST.” * * * AZQUOTES.COM * * * AMERICANSONGWRITER.COM.