Today the Quotations section on Running Wolf’s Rant
honors Bob Marley. He died on this day, the 11th of May, in 1981 in
Miami, Florida in the United States. Bob Marley was the frontman for Bob
Marley and the Wailers from 1963 until 1981. He remains the most widely
known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with
helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a
worldwide audience. Bob Marley was born as Robert Nesta Marley on the
6th of February 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann in Jamaica. Bob Marley
fathered a total of 11 children before his death. Bob Marley and the
Wailers released 12 studio albums between 1965 and 1980. The first
indication that something was amiss with Marley’s health came in May of
1977. While on tour in France, he re-injured a right toe during a soccer
game. The injury refused to heal and instead quickly worsened. The
entire nail came off and doctors recommended amputation. Citing
religious beliefs, a limping Marley refused the surgery and gamely
continued on tour. Later that summer, he finally allowed an orthopedic
surgeon to perform a skin graft on the toe, and the procedure was deemed
“a success.” In September of 1980, a weakened Bob Marley almost fainted
on stage while performing in New York. The next day, he collapsed while
jogging in Central Park. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor (a result
of the untreated cancer in his toe) and given less than a month to live.
Despite the grim news, Marley played one final show in Pittsburgh
before being flown to Miami. There doctors verified that the singer had
cancer in the brain, lung, and stomach. 8 months later, Bob Marley
passed away.
Here are some from Bob Marley:
“Bob Marley isn’t my name. I don’t even know my name yet.”
“Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect – and I
don’t live to be – but before you start pointing fingers… make sure you
hands are clean!”
“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”
“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”
“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through
the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and
jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up
and Live!”
“When one door is closed, don’t you know that many more are open.”
“The people who were trying to make this world worse are not taking the day off. Why should I?”
“Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.”
“I don’t stand for black mans side, I don’t stand for white mans side, I stand for God’s side.”
“You can’t find the right roads when the streets are paved.”
“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.”
“The best thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
“You can fool some people some times but you cant fool all the people all the time.”
“Tell the children the truth.”
“My music fights against the system that teaches to live and die.”
