Welcome to our collection of insightful and inspiring quotes by the legendary folk singer-songwriter, Arlo Guthrie. With a career spanning decades, Guthrie has left an indelible mark on music, activism, and the hearts of countless individuals around the world. Born into the iconic Guthrie family, with folk legend Woody Guthrie as his father, Arlo inherited not just musical talent but also a passion for social justice and storytelling. His music carries the torch of his father’s legacy while carving out a unique path of its own, resonating with audiences across generations.
Arlo Guthrie’s songs are not just melodies; they are anthems of change, hope, and resilience. Through his lyrics, he explores themes of love, freedom, activism, and the human experience with a sincerity that is both profound and relatable. Whether it’s the timeless classic Alice’s Restaurant Massacree or the heartfelt City of New Orleans, Guthrie’s music has a way of transcending time and touching the soul. Join us as we delve into the wisdom and wit of Arlo Guthrie through a curated selection of his most memorable quotes.
Basically, I think you need two things to get by in this world: a sense of humor and the ability to laugh when your ego is destroyed. Arlo Guthrie
You get people talking about being worried about their art, and dances… their culture being wiped out or taken over, and yet these same people are taking advantage of their people to use them as cheap labour. Arlo Guthrie
My dad’s songs were really written to make certain people feel as though they had some kind of value. Because they were told from where they work and from the countries they had immigrated from that they did not. Arlo Guthrie
We would turn everything into songs in those days. Arlo Guthrie
I don’t do anything on stage that allows me to become a trained seal, where you’re just doing the same thing over and over. Arlo Guthrie
My only description for me is that there’s no throwaway people. That’s the creed that I live by. It doesn’t matter if I’m singing or not. That’s the kind of person that my father and mother wanted me to be. The end obligation is to make people feel good about who they are. Arlo Guthrie
I left the entertainment industry part of my life behind in 1983, when we decided not to work with major record companies anymore. Arlo Guthrie
There’s only one God. Call him whatever you want. Arlo Guthrie
I think of my parents as a single unit, and it’s interesting because they shared so much, and they were totally opposite. My mother, a Martha Graham dancer, had a classical background; my father had a back-porch background. Arlo Guthrie
I’d rather have friends who care than friends who agree with me. Arlo Guthrie
Along with a sense of humor, my songs have to be sincere, and they have to be sung from a position of inner conviction. Arlo Guthrie
Thank God that the people that run this world are not smart enough to keep running it forever. You know, everybody gets a handle on it for a little while. Arlo Guthrie
Probably my two biggest musical influences were the Everly Brothers and the Beatles, in chronological order. Both of them have had a very simple-sounding musical style that’s actually quite complex as far as popular songs are concerned. Arlo Guthrie
My mother had introduced me to a lot of my father’s friends because she believed that I would get to know the guy my dad was better through his friends than just in the hospital visits. Arlo Guthrie
We live in an increasingly sophisticated world that makes it difficult to make simple comments on stuff. There are too many people on both sides of the border who are taking advantage of circumstances and the situation. Arlo Guthrie
I don’t want a pickle, just want to ride on my motorsickle. Arlo Guthrie
Music is a nice friend to have around, whether it is just for yourself or for other people. If you can enjoy it, being professional is almost secondary. Arlo Guthrie
There are people all over the world who are willing to exploit others. You can’t just point the finger at America. Arlo Guthrie
But think of the last guy. For one minute, think of the last guy. Nobody’s got it worse than that guy. Nobody in the whole world. Arlo Guthrie
The death of what’s dead is the birth of what’s living. Arlo Guthrie
If you do anything for 40 years, you can do it comfortably. And it will always be good. But unless you’re willing to risk it being bad, it can never be great. Arlo Guthrie
Everywhere I go, I see all kinds of people at my shows – conservatives, liberals, new-agers, teen-agers, old pensioners. And for those people to have something in common is real interesting to me. Arlo Guthrie
Folk music is music that everyday people can play, and it inspired a lot of people to make their own music. That trailed into making your own pop music, and that’s why garage bands started springing up everywhere. Arlo Guthrie
Greed and globalization aren’t just America’s fault. Arlo Guthrie
I thought I would be governor of Massachusetts. I stood on a pile of my old albums and said, ‘I’m the only one with a record to stand on.’ Arlo Guthrie
I’m not just a singer-songwriter doing songs in the key of me. Arlo Guthrie
Everyone has a responsibility to not only tolerate another person’s point of view, but also to accept it eagerly as a challenge to your own understanding. And express those challenges in terms of serving other people. Arlo Guthrie
People were talking about songs of the common man in order to make the common man. With Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly, they were so common it was just uncommon. Arlo Guthrie
With the advent of radio and recording, music became an industry rather than just a tradition. Arlo Guthrie
You can’t have a light without a dark to stick it in. Arlo Guthrie
Building walls isn’t going to work in the long run. Some people are happy with the wall in Israel, but somebody will get a weapon someday and knock it over or something. Walls aren’t the answer between countries, though. Arlo Guthrie
I’ve written quite a variety of songs, everything from kids songs to political satire, and my dad covered a fairly large range, also. Arlo Guthrie
At the same time the folk boom was happening, the civil rights movement was happening, the anti-war movement was happening, the ban the bomb movement was happening, the environmental movement was happening. There was suddenly a generation ready to change the course of history. Arlo Guthrie
Yes, I was born in Coney Island. The Holy Land. Arlo Guthrie