--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Music has always been the greatest…" description: "\"“Music has always been the greatest expression of mortal philosophy,\" continued Lucky. \"The path to enlightenment is found in the lyrics of Spinal Tap...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/a-lee-martinez-11831_buddhism_music-has-always-been-the-greatest-expre_862610.png" --- # Music has always been the greatest expression of mortal… ![“Music has always been the greatest expression of mortal philosophy," continued Lucky. "The path to enlightenment is found in the lyrics of Spinal Tap.” quote by A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/a-lee-martinez-11831_buddhism_music-has-always-been-the-greatest-expre_862610.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/a-lee-martinez-11831_buddhism_music-has-always-been-the-greatest-expre_862610.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdc/a-lee-martinez-11831_buddhism_music-has-always-been-the-greatest-expre_862610.png) > ““Music has always been the greatest expression of mortal philosophy," continued Lucky. "The path to enlightenment is found in the lyrics of Spinal Tap.”” [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music reflects deep human ideas, and enlightenment can be found in unexpected, humorous lyrics. **In simple terms:** Music can teach philosophy in funny ways. Key Takeaway Listen for deeper meaning in songs. Themes music philosophy humor Mood playful thoughtful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - listening to lyrics - creative inspiration - mindful listening Key Concepts cultural critique spiritual search Questions to Reflect On - What song lyrics have changed your view? - Can humor aid spiritual growth? A Different Perspective Humor may trivialize serious ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Path to enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path-to-enlightenment/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Spinal tap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinal-tap/) ## Related quotes > [“Morality is separate from the ideals of men. It exists whole somewhere, to be approached—but never truly understood—by the mortal. 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There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-is-a-very-fast-path-to-enlightenment-fast-in-comparison-to-some/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Each river is different, but they all eventually lead to the ocean. No matter what we’re doing or when, or whether it brings us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/each-river-is-different-but-they-all-eventually-lead-to-the-ocean-no/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [The holy grail is right here in this gem of a book. Tosha Silver’s wisdom goes down as easy as a mint milkshake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-holy-grail-is-right-here-in-this-gem-of-a-book-tosha-silver-s/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > ['Waiting For Guffman' was different right away from 'Spinal Tap,' because we didn't show the interviewer. That person became invisible immediately. That created a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/waiting-for-guffman-was-different-right-away-from-spinal-tap-because/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) > [“Dean had never quite imagined his life might end like this. Naked in a Tijuana brothel with an eighty-year-old woman dressed like Janine from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/dean-had-never-quite-imagined-his-life-might-end-like-this-naked-in-a/) [Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/) > ['Spinal Tap' began as a mock rock band that we four - Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and myself - developed for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/spinal-tap-began-as-a-mock-rock-band-that-we-four-rob-reiner/) [Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/) > [I saw 'Purple Rain' in the summer of '84, and, 'Spinal Tap' notwithstanding, it's the greatest rock & roll film of all time. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/i-saw-purple-rain-in-the-summer-of-84-and-spinal-tap-notwithstanding/) [Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/) > [I was lucky enough to get to perform on stage in front of 20 million people on TV, and 150 thousand in concerts. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mothersbaugh/i-was-lucky-enough-to-get-to-perform-on-stage-in-front-of-20-million/) [Mark Mothersbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mothersbaugh/) > [I don't find the business easy. The moment you start talking about the business, you start sounding like someone in Spinal Tap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wyatt/i-don-t-find-the-business-easy-the-moment-you-start-talking-about-the/) [Robert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wyatt/) > [I've made movies that nobody saw initially, and then, all the sudden, people over the years pick up on it. Like 'Spinal Tap' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/i-ve-made-movies-that-nobody-saw-initially-and-then-all-the-sudden/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [I was in the pilot for Spinal Tap before it was a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-blackwood/i-was-in-the-pilot-for-spinal-tap-before-it-was-a-movie/) [Nina Blackwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-blackwood/) > [You can't really dust for vomit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/you-can-t-really-dust-for-vomit/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) ## More by A. Lee Martinez > [“Humans... You want a nice warm hug from a cold, indifferent universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/humans-you-want-a-nice-warm-hug-from-a-cold-indifferent-universe/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [In the middle of nowhere, along a quiet stretch of road, the diner dreamt of the hungry dead. And of two men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/in-the-middle-of-nowhere-along-a-quiet-stretch-of-road-the-diner/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“All things exist in as simple a form as necessity dictates. When a thing is labeled 'complex,' that's just a roundabout way of saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/all-things-exist-in-as-simple-a-form-as-necessity-dictates-when-a/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“She stopped shrieking after a moment. It wasn't the crazy looks she drew from the other pedestrians that made her stop. And her damaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/she-stopped-shrieking-after-a-moment-it-wasn-t-the-crazy-looks-she/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“You’re unlikely to find death anywhere near a tomb.  Everyone there is already dead. Death’s business is among the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/you-re-unlikely-to-find-death-anywhere-near-a-tomb-everyone-there-is/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“Quiet fell upon the pickup and lasted for a little over nineteen minutes. Is that why you hang around with him?", Loretta asked. "Cuz…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/quiet-fell-upon-the-pickup-and-lasted-for-a-little-over-nineteen/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [Quiet descended, a silence so consuming that even the drafty corridors ceased whistling. Bog wasn't certain where to look, so he solved the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/quiet-descended-a-silence-so-consuming-that-even-the-drafty-corridors/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“Vance shook his head. "Philly, I love you, buddy. I do. But you're not my type." "I'm not?" "What? Are you insulted?" Philip was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/vance-shook-his-head-philly-i-love-you-buddy-i-do-but-you-re-not-my/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“He’d discovered that most of the terrors that stalked the night weren’t really terrors at all. They were mostly like regular folks, just trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/he-d-discovered-that-most-of-the-terrors-that-stalked-the-night-weren/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“Do these robots looked armed? And I was talking to the dinosaur. Were you worried he would discuss me to death?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/do-these-robots-looked-armed-and-i-was-talking-to-the-dinosaur-were/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“The universe was filled with secrets, and he understood now that one of the biggest was that no one needed to know them all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/the-universe-was-filled-with-secrets-and-he-understood-now-that-one/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“Vance took the news of their "big-city fellows" status better than Philip. Probably because it turned out that he was actually gay. "You're what?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/vance-took-the-news-of-their-big-city-fellows-status-better-than/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“When you cross over into the weird stuff, there's no going back. Hector has a theory on it. Calls it the law of 'Anomalous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/when-you-cross-over-into-the-weird-stuff-there-s-no-going-back-hector/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [To worry is to acknowledge that the world is unpredictable, and there is power in understanding one's own powerlessness at times. But too often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/to-worry-is-to-acknowledge-that-the-world-is-unpredictable-and-there/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) > [“He hasn't earned your your mercy." Nessy replied, "Mercy isn't earned. It's given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/he-hasn-t-earned-your-your-mercy-nessy-replied-mercy-isn-t-earned-it/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) [Explore all 57 A. Lee Martinez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) ## More Buddhism quotes > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. 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I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. 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After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) [Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Music has always been the greatest expression of mortal philosophy,\" continued Lucky. \"The path to enlightenment is found in the lyrics of Spinal Tap.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. 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