Bob Marley, the world’s most renowned reggae singer and musician, is best known for promoting positive vibes and happiness through his legendary reggae tunes—but he is also recognized for his quotes about life.

From heartwarming reminders that life is worth living to love quotes, that inspire compassion and generosity, believe us: this massive collection of the finest Bob Marley quotes about life and love will elevate your spirits almost as much as one of his famous songs.

Bob Marley Quotes

“All I have is my life.”

“And no matter what game they play
We got something they can never take away.”

 “And what has been hidden from the wise and the prudent has been revealed in the mouth of the toddlers.” 

“As a man sow, shall he reap. and I know that talk is cheap. But the heat of the battle is as sweet as the victory.”  

“Before you start pointing fingers… make sure your hands are clean.”

“Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but its everything in between that makes it all worth living.”

“Better to die fighting for freedom then be a prisoner all the days of your life.”

“Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life”  

“Bob Marley isn’t my name. I don’t even know my name yet.”

 “But though we bear our burdens now, all afflictions got to end somehow.” 

“Can’t run away from yourself.”

 “Conquer the devils with a little thing called love.”  

“Could you be loved and be loved?” 

“Don’t complicate your mind.” 

 “Don’t forget your history nor your destiny”

“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold”  

“Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect for more than he can give. Don’t analyze.” 

 “Don’t jump in the water, if you can’t swim.” 

 “Don’t let them change ya, or even rearrange ya.” 

“Don’t let them fool ya, or even try to school ya.” 

“Don’t treat me like a puppet on a string.” 

“Don’t trust people whose feelings change with time. Trust people whose feelings remain the same, even when the time changes.” 

“Don’t worry about a thing ’cause every little thing gonna be alright.” 

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.”  

 “Every man got a right to decide his own destiny.”

 “Every man got the right to decide his own destiny.”   

 “Everyone you see has a heart desire.” 

“Everything in life got its purpose, find its reason in every season.”

“Everything’s gonna be alright.” 

“Forget your troubles and dance.” 

 “Free speech carries with it some freedom to listen.”

 “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights. Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight.”

“Got to build our love on one foundation.” 

“He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break.” 

Bob Marley Quotes

“He who hide the wrong he did, surely did the wrong thing still.” 

“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold onto him and give him the most you can. 

 “Heal with loneliness, heartaches and tear drops.” 

 “Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is the destruction.”  

“Hey, lively up yourself.”

 “Hit me with music now.” 

“How many rivers do we have to cross, before we can talk to the boss?” 

“I don’t stand for black man’s side, I don’t stand for white man’s side, I stand for God’s side.” 

 “I don’t wanna wait in vain for your love.” 

 “I have got a running stream of love you see. So no matter what stages.. they put us through, we’ll never be blue.”  

 “I have no education, I have inspiration. If I was educated, I would be a damn fool.” 

“I know I’m not perfect and I don’t live to be.” 

 “I no have education. I have inspiration. If I was educated I would be a damn fool.”

 “I rule my destiny.”

 “I was really into like—they call it spiritual music. ‘Cause it got me revolutionized.”

 “I went deep inside myself. I had time to explore my beliefs and because of that I’m stronger.”

 “I will never regret you or say I wish I’d never met you, because once upon a time, you were exactly what I needed.” 

“I wish I was the music that rock your soul.” 

“I’m gonna be your friend in high tide or in low tide.” 

 “I’ve been here before and will come again, but I’m not going this trip through.”

 “If I am guilty I will pay.”

“If puss and dog can get together, why can’t we love one another?” 

 “If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy. … Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.”

“If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy.” 

 “If something can corrupt you, you’re corrupted already.”

 “If you can love the wrong person that much, imagine how much you can love the right one.”

 “If you get down and quarrel every day, you’re saying prayers to the devil, I say.”

 “If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from, then you wouldn’t have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am.”  

“In life I know there’s lots of grief, but your love is my relief.” 

 “In the abundance of water a fool is thirsty.”

 “In the abundance of water, a fool is thirsty.”

 “In the high tide or low tide, I’m gonna be your friend… I’m gonna be your friend!”

 “In this bright future, you can’t forget your past.” 

“Is this love that I’m feelin’?” 

“It take a joyful sound, to make a world go ’round.” 

 “It take many a year, mon, and maybe some bloodshed must be, but righteousness someday prevail.” 

“It takes a revolution to make a solution.”

“It’s me love that you’re running from.” 

“It’s your love that I’m waiting on.” 

“Judge not, before you judge yourself. Judge not, if you’re not ready for judgement.” 

“Just because you are happy it does not mean that the day is perfect but that you have looked beyond its imperfections.” 

“Keep calm and chive on.”

“Let love come running in, darlin’.” 

“Light up the darkness.” 

“Live for yourself and you will live in vain; Live for others, and you will live again.”

“Live if you want to live.”

“Live to fight another day.” 

“Long time you fight revolution and when you fight revolution you use guns. You don’t really want talk about revolution until you have guns, right? So me don’t want ever to talk ‘bout revolution because me no never get gun. Me make music. Music is the biggest gun.”

 “Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.” 

“Love has come to bloom again.” 

 “Love the life you live. live the life you love.”

Bob Marley Quotes

 “Love would never leave us alone.” 

 “Love, friendship, laughter… some of the best things in life really are free.” 

“Make love and not war! ‘Cause we don’t need no trouble.” 

 “Man can’t do without God. Just like you’re thirsty, you have to drink water. You just can’t go without God.” 

 “Man is a universe within himself.”

“Man, you got to do your best.”

 “Me see myself as a revolutionary, wouldn’t want no help and imma take no bribe from no one and fight it single handed with music.”

“Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end.” 

 “Most people think great god will come from the skies, take away everything, and make everybody feel high. But if you know what life is worth, you will look for yours on earth.”  

 “Musicians must be spokespeople for the oppressed masses.”

 “My fear is my only courage.” 

“My future is righteousness.”  

“My heart says follow t’rough.” 

 “My music fights against the system that teaches to live and die.” 

 “My music will go on forever. Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever.” 

 “Never expect God to do for you what you don’t do to others.”

“No, woman, no cry.” 

“None but ourselves can free our mind.”

“Now you get what you want, do you want more?” 

“Oh, brothers, you should know and not believe.”

“Oh, please don’t you rock my boat, ’cause I don’t want my boat to be rockin’.” 

“Oh, so happy we will be sharing the love that is free.” 

 “On a hot, sunny day, follow the shadows for rescue.”

 “Once a man and twice a child.” 

 “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” 

“One love, one heart . . . Let’s get together and feel all right.” 

 “One love, one heart, one destiny.” 

 “Only a foolish dog barks at a flying bird.”  

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around.” 

“Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you’re living?” 

“Overcome the devils with a thing called love.”  

 “Prejudice is a chain, it can hold you. If you prejudice, you can’t move, you keep prejudice for years. Never get nowhere with that.”

“Put your vision to reality.”

“Reggae music is the purest music.”

 “Rise up this mornin’, smile with the risin’ sun.”

Bob Marley Quotes

“Rise up, fallen fighters. Rise and take your stance again.” 

“Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.” 

 “Smelling the air when spring comes by raindrops reminds us of youthful days.”

 “Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.” 

“So before you point your fingers make sure your hands are clean.”

 “So much trouble in the world. All you got to do: give a little.”

“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” 

 “Some will hate you pretend they love you now then behind they try to eliminate you.”

 “Such a natural mystic, blowing through the air.”

 “Tell the children the truth.” 

“That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, Dis a war.”

 “The beauty of love. The love of beauty. The greener you are, the wiser you will be.” 

“The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her.” 

“The biggest man was a baby one time.”

“The day you stop racing is the day you win the race.” 

“The good times of today are the sad thoughts of tomorrow.” 

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” 

“The lips of the righteous teach many, But fools die for want of wisdom.” 

 “The most beautiful things are not perfect, they are special.” 

“The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?” 

“The problem is people are being hated when they are real, and are being loved when they are fake.”  

 “The stone that the builder refused shall be the head cornerstone.”  

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” 

“The winds that sometimes take something we love, are the same that bring us something we learn to love. Therefore we should not cry about something that was taken from us, but, yes, love what we have been given. Because what is really ours is never gone forever.” 

“There will never be no love at all.” 

 “There’s work to be done.”

 “They don’t want to see us live together; all they want us to do is keep on killing one another.”

“They say: only the fittest of the fittest shall survive, stay alive.” 

 “Things will be OK in the end. If it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”  

“Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.”

Bob Marley Quotes

“Today, people struggle to find what’s real. Everything has become so synthetic that a lot of people, all they want is to grasp onto hope.” 

“True friends are like stars; you can only recognize them when it’s dark around you.” 

“Truth is everybody is going to hurt you: you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.” 

 “Truth is the light so you never give up the fight.” 

 “Until the color of a man’s skin, is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes, me say war.”

“We don’t have education, we have inspiration; if I was educated I would be a damn fool.” 

“We got to realize we are one people.” 

 “We know where we’re going; we know where we’re from.”

“We like to be free like birds in a tree.” 

“We’re more than numbers.”

“What important is man should live in righteousness, in natural love for mankind.” 

“What we need is love, to guide and protect us on.” 

 “What we struggle to make of it is our sole gift to Jah. The process of what that struggle becomes, in time, the Truth.”

“What’s wrong with loving one another?” 

 “When one door is closed, don’t you know that many more are open?”   

 “When one door is closed, don’t you know, another is open.” 

 “When the race gets hard to run. It means you just can’t take the peace.”

“When the root is strong, the fruit is sweet.” 

“Where did it all begin? Where will it end?” 

 “Who are you to judge the life I live? I am not perfect and I don’t have to be! Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.”

“Who the cap, fit let them wear it!”

“Why not help each other on the way? Make it much easier.” 

“Wisdom is better than silver and gold.”

“You can fool some people sometimes/but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” 

 “You can’t find the right roads when the streets are paved.”

 “You find strength in knowing that you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end.” 

 “You have to be someone.”

“You just can’t live that negative way. You know what I mean. Make way for the positive day. Cause it’s a new day…”

“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters?” 

 “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have”  

“You not supposed to feel down over whatever happen to you. I mean, you’re supposed to use whatever happen to you as some type of upper, not a downer.”

“You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.” 

 “You say dabble in Politics? I don’t know what that is. You say stand up and talk for my rights? I know that that is.”

 “You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love sun, but you seek shelter when it is shining. You say you love wind, but when it comes you close your windows. So that’s why I’m scared when you say you love me.” 

“You think it’s the end, but it’s just the beginning.” 

 “You’re on a positive road. You have some type of direction where you’re going, so you have to just keep ongoing.”  

“Your life is worth much more than gold.” 

“She may not be the most popular or prettiest but if you love her and she makes you smile… what else matters?” 

Tell us your favorite Bob Marley quotes in the comment section below.

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