100 Quotes by Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens, whose real name is Yusuf Islam, is a highly influential musician and singer-songwriter whose music has left an indelible mark on the folk and soft rock genres. Emerging in the 1970s, Stevens' soulful voice and introspective lyrics have connected with countless listeners around the globe. His songs often explore themes of love, spirituality, and the human condition, reflecting his personal journey and experiences.
"Wild World," "Father and Son," and "Peace Train" are just a few of his timeless classics that continue to resonate with audiences of all ages. Beyond his musical talents, Stevens' conversion to Islam in the late 1970s led him to step away from the spotlight for several years. However, he later returned to the music scene, embracing his faith while also promoting interfaith dialogue and philanthropic endeavors. Stevens' musical legacy remains enduring, and his ability to touch the hearts and minds of listeners with his sincere and heartfelt compositions is a testament to his artistry and the lasting power of music as a unifying force.
Cat Stevens Quotes
I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.
If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there's a million ways to be, you know that there are.
Music can be healing, and with my history and my knowledge of both sides of what looks like a gigantic divide in the world, I feel I can point a way forward to our common humanity again.
I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one. And I believe it could be someday it's going to come.
If you want to be free be free.
Ooh baby, baby, it's a wild world, it's hard just to get by upon a smile.
To be what you want to be, you must give up being what you are.
Life is a journey, you know; and a lot of journeys, you go out, you come back.
Music is a lady that I still love because she gives me the air that I breathe. We need all sorts of nourishment. And music satisfies and nourishes the hunger within ourselves for connection and harmony.
Islam is not just a religion. Islam is everything.
Say what you think; think what you mean.
The very first lesson that I learnt from the Qur'an was the message of unity and peace.
Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason....When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt the only answer for me was the Qur'an and God had sent it to me.
This is the beauty of the Qur'an: it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general.
Peace Train' is a song I wrote, the message of which continues to breeze thunderously through the hearts of millions. There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.
In a World where people are surrounded by darkness, ignorance and fear, it is a sign of hope to be celebrating Islam's message of peace and light, and the last great Messenger, born and chosen to deliver them to all mankind.
There is a powerful need for people to feel that gust of hope rise up again.
In the early days I had a very black-and-white view of everything. I think that's kind of natural for anyone who's just embraced Islam - or any religion - as a convert. It was important for me to duck out of the fast and furious life I'd been living as a pop star. I was in a different mood.
The verses talked about other Prophets as brothers preaching the same unifying script of mankind, showing every man and woman the way to Paradise. I saw the names of Jesus, of Moses, of Abraham, of Jacob, of Noah and of course, crucially, the name of this last messenger, the last Messenger of God, Muhammad.
The greatest legacy is that which benefits the widest number of people for the longest period without limit to value. No one but the Prophet Muhammad was given that role as the seal of God's message.
The fact that the Prophet cared for every human being and tried his best to ensure their security in the hereafter must be the most telling of his compassionate and merciful characteristics.
It is part of my faith as a Muslim to try to help those who are suffering from poverty or economic or political injustice.
Sun is the reason And the world it will bloom 'Cause sun lights the sky And the sun lights the moon
The spiritual quest was always the predominant aspect of my life. It's always been there. But there's also an incredible passion connected to it; it's not just a dry investigative process. I have been extremely emotional about it, and that comes out in the songs.
They have hijacked my religion.
Positive thoughts and prayer have been the best means available, since the beginning of time, to transform darkness to light.
If you want to be you, BE YOU!
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out.
Moderation is part of faith, so those who accuse Muslim schools of fostering fanaticism should learn a bit more about Islam.
It was important for me to duck out of the fast and furious life I'd been living as a pop star. I was in a different mood.
You may still be here tomorrow...but your dreams may not.
The harm done is often difficult to repair.
You can argue with a philosopher, but you can’t argue with a good song. And I think I’ve got a few good songs.
Now I've been crying lately, Thinking about the world as it is. Why must we go on hating? Why can't we live in bliss?
Man may live and man may die searching for the question why. But if he tries to rule the sky, he must fall.
If I make a mark in time, I can't say the mark is mine.
Music satisfies and nourishes the hunger within ourselves for connection and harmony.
After embracing Islam in 1977, I considered the majority of underprivileged dark-skinned people of the so-called Third World brothers and sisters in humanity.
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen.
Love heats my blood, blood spins my head, and my head falls in love.
A flight from London carrying the artist we all used to know as Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangor, Maine after his name showed up on a terrorist no-fly list. I tell you, it's a real success story in the war on terror. You know, we finally got the guy that wrote "Peace Train.
I've returned to being an amateur without any ties or strings attached, which gives me a freedom I never had before.
Communal well-being is central to human life.
Some extremists take elements of the sacred scriptures out of context.
All the songs that were written for that album are just all our first sophomore songs. So they're all from real life. Very sweet and very innocent. I think the theme of the album probably was just that it was our first record. ... Back when we were first making records, you didn't just make the music, you put a great deal of energy into the way it looked, and every word that was written on the whole thing.
Life is a maze of doors and they all open from the side you're on. Just keep on pushing hard boy, try as you may, you're going to wind up where you started from.
Don't you feel a change a coming From another side of time, Breaking down the walls of silence, Lifting shadows from your mind.
If you want to be free, be free, because there's a million things to be.
I've studied various schools of thought ... I acknowledge that some Muslims consider music prohibited, but I've found a lot of evidence from the life of the Prophet to show that he allowed certainly, but even encouraged, music at certain times ...
Ever since I became a Muslim ... I've had to deal with attempts to damage my reputation and countless insinuations seeking to cast doubt on my character and trying to connect me to causes, concepts or sayings which I do not and would never wilfully subscribe to.
I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the highlight of show business. I was born into a Christian home.
It's very difficult to ignore humanitarian disasters. The royalties from my albums continue to support my charity work.
When many astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space, and they become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.
I enjoy life. I think I'll enjoy death even more. Life is too confusing.
I'm not the best of you, but I'm not the worst either.
And if my mind breaks up In all so many ways I know the meaning of The words, "I love you
To be calm when you've found something going on
Man is created to be God's deputy on earth and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life.
"But when it comes to being loved, she's first/That's how I know The first cut is the deepest."
Everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah.
In those days a concert was a personal experience. I wanted to be as close as possible to the audience and of course big stadiums didn't enable you to do that. It wasn't my style.
There was no division I could see between the essential teaching of all Prophets and wise men of religion.
That there's no link between Islam and Christianity and Judaism. There wouldn't be Islam if there wasn't Christianity or Judaism, because it's all one long line of revelation. Seeing it from that point of view it makes you ask yourself why Muslims sometimes separate themselves from that large family that leads to Abraham and, even before that, to Adam. The only answer is that we're conditioned to do it by thinking, Hey, I do things better than he does.
Violence is almost an everyday occurrence in some Muslim lands: it should not be exacerbated by revenge attacks on more innocent families and communities.
Because I don't play guitar any more, African harmonies and rhythms have been an inspiration to me. I love the raw origin of the sound. It complements my voice and words naturally.
The latest horror to hit the U.S. looks to have been caused by people of Middle Eastern origin, bearing Muslim names. Again, shame. This fuels more hatred for a religion and a people who have nothing to do with these events.
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go.
Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death.
In Islam there is a line between let's say freedom and the line which is then transgressed into immorality and irresponsibility and I think as far as this writer is concerned, unfortunately, he has been irresponsible with his freedom of speech. Salman Rushdie or indeed any writer who abuses the prophet, or indeed any prophet, under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death. It's got to be seen as a deterrent, so that other people should not commit the same mistake again.
Rather than go to a demonstration to burn an effigy of the author Salman Rushdie, I would have hoped that it'd be the real thing.
Will you carry the words of love with you?
I know many fine feathered friends But their friendliness depends on how you do They know many sure fired ways, To find out the one who pays And how you do
Oh God! If you save me I will work for you.
I'm gonna get me a gun, all those people who put me down you better get ready to run.
Music is part of God's universe.
"Find a girl, settle down, If you want you can marry."
There is a social need within our lives as human beings to have harmony.
Can't keep it in, Gotta let it out.
Vanity is the most dangerous thing about fame.
Baby I know, the first cut is the deepest.
The sexual act - separating that from love itself - is centered solely in the body, whereas spirituality is connected to the whole self. Whether it's a female, a taste, or a sound, all these beautiful things affect our self. We are the perceivers of beauty, and that's why sex doesn't quite go far enough. You can go much further with the spiritual.
All things can be forgiven if we can progress.
It's true that the Internet is an equalizer, and everybody can be a star now. Musicians are more touchable these days, and that's a good thing. It's certainly the way I like to live my life, and it's why I don't do concerts in big arenas - I prefer to be in touch with my audience.
God has decided the rules of life, whereby you don't trespass on anybody else's rights, and sin is something that upsets the balance of things. There are three types of sin: sin against yourself; sin against other people; and sin against God. People often sin against themselves and others and misbehave with God, too.
Being larger than life, or being projected as such in the music business, leads you to question yourself. Some people try to forget about it by taking drugs or too much drink, but I was never like that. I was aware that there were very serious, big questions, and I was petrified about what might be in store for me.
I'm looking for a hard-headed woman, One who will make me do my best, And if I find my hard-headed woman, I know the rest of my life will be blessed
Miles from nowhere. Guess I'll take my time.
I can never quite trust anybody anymore.
If I ever loose my eyes, I won't have to cry no more.
It's hard to get by just upon a smile.
My career is there for everyone to see and delve into.
Being more mature now, I've managed to make peace with my past, as it's making peace with me. Certainly there's a mutual gain for reflecting on both phases of my life, and although I consider the here and now perhaps to be more important, there are still many people who appreciate my past ephemeral stages and the lessons they represent.
There's a common threat facing all of us - Christians, Jews, and Muslims - and that is the Antichrist. It's a very deep subject, and it's a horrendous thing to contemplate. Someone will appear who is, in fact, the opposite of what he appears to be. Some people will believe in him, and that's really frightening. In Islam, there's a belief that Jesus will return to destroy the Antichrist, which is something many people don't know about the Islamic faith.
We need kids to remind us of how incredible this world is. People are increasingly losing their childhoods too soon, and that's a danger. There's a prophesy somewhere that at a certain point in history, children will be gray. It's weird to think about, but it's possible.
Knowledge is a thing you can carry around with you, but you may not apply it. Some knowledge is indiscriminate, and it can be damaging. I recently found a wonderful definition of wisdom: It is that thing which results in the maximum good and the least harm.
America was my home for a very long time, and it's a fascinating, pioneering country that many people look to. In the recent past it hasn't been doing very well, but there's a great new hope now with the election of Obama. America took a very big leap there and proved that it still has the edge as far as being able to do things many other countries may find difficult.
The words of the songs speak for themselves.
I listen to the wind, the wind of my soul.
It seems to be the easiest thing in the world these days to make scurrilous accusations against Muslims, and in my case it directly impacts on my relief work and damages my reputation as an artist. The harm done is often difficult to repair.
Yesterday I was on the edge Hoping everything was going to work itself out A good honest man doing the work of God Trying to make things better for Him A lover of life in a school for fools Trying to find another way to survive
Not only did the terrorists hijack planes and destroy life, but they also hijacked the peaceful religion of Islam and split the brother and sisterhood of mankind.
― Cat Stevens Quotes
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
