--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have…" description: "\"When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about anything. I don't have to worry about anything because I'm not responsible for anything except..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/bobby-mcferrin-12039_mouths_when-i-m-on-stage-by-myself-i-don-t-have_1602881.png" --- # When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about… ![“When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about anything. I don't have to worry about anything because I'm not responsible for anything except just opening my mouth and making sure music comes out.” quote by Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/bobby-mcferrin-12039_mouths_when-i-m-on-stage-by-myself-i-don-t-have_1602881.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/bobby-mcferrin-12039_mouths_when-i-m-on-stage-by-myself-i-don-t-have_1602881.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c1/bobby-mcferrin-12039_mouths_when-i-m-on-stage-by-myself-i-don-t-have_1602881.png) > “When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about anything. I don't have to worry about anything because I'm not responsible for anything except just opening my mouth and making sure music comes out.” [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Performing solo liberates the artist, allowing focus on pure expression without external responsibilities. **In simple terms:** Solo performance frees the artist. Key Takeaway Embrace moments of pure creative freedom. Themes creativity freedom performance mindfulness Mood joyful contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - live concerts - improvisation - personal meditation Key Concepts presence flow self‑release Questions to Reflect On - When do you seek solitude for creation? - How does responsibility affect your art? A Different Perspective Isolation can limit collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [“the anxious worry that I might be responsible in some way for what was on the walls of the gallery behind me, a wringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccormack/the-anxious-worry-that-i-might-be-responsible-in-some-way-for-what/) [Mike McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccormack/) > [Dontopedalogy is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it, which I've practised for many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-philip/dontopedalogy-is-the-science-of-opening-your-mouth-and-putting-your/) [Prince Philip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-philip/) > [“Though we’re not responsible for where we come from, we are responsible for where we go. We are more than just our conditioning. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-henry/though-we-re-not-responsible-for-where-we-come-from-we-are/) [Tyler Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-henry/) > [Your democratically elected governments continuously perpetuate injustice against my people all over the world, and your support of them makes you directly responsible, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-khan/your-democratically-elected-governments-continuously-perpetuate/) Mohamed Khan > [Being a mum has made me a lot more responsible, it's not just me anymore. But it's also brought me the most joy ever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-appleton/being-a-mum-has-made-me-a-lot-more-responsible-it-s-not-just-me/) [Nicole Appleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-appleton/) > [Why do we so mindlessly abuse our planet, our only home? The answer to that lies in each of us. Therefore, we will strive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-anthony/why-do-we-so-mindlessly-abuse-our-planet-our-only-home-the-answer-to/) [Lawrence Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-anthony/) > [I always enjoy it when I walk on stage. There were some times when I was working so much in the '80s, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-strait/i-always-enjoy-it-when-i-walk-on-stage-there-were-some-times-when-i/) [George Strait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-strait/) > [I've had good sex with somebody and just kind of been afterward - "Wow." Once they started opening their mouth and showing their true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brody-jenner/i-ve-had-good-sex-with-somebody-and-just-kind-of-been-afterward-wow/) [Brody Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brody-jenner/) > [I can do five things at once. I'm tapping my foot, I'm opening my mouth and talking to you, and looking at the bulletin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/i-can-do-five-things-at-once-i-m-tapping-my-foot-i-m-opening-my-mouth/) [Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/) > [I wanted to swallow myself by opening my mouth very wide and turning it over my head so that it would take in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/i-wanted-to-swallow-myself-by-opening-my-mouth-very-wide-and-turning/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [“fact. Of course, she always went and spoiled the appeal by opening her mouth. In his humble experience, the world had yet to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/fact-of-course-she-always-went-and-spoiled-the-appeal-by-opening-her/) [Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/) > [I just enjoy translating, it's like opening one's mouth and hearing someone else's voice emerge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-just-enjoy-translating-it-s-like-opening-one-s-mouth-and-hearing/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“He had absolutely no plan beyond opening his mouth and planting his foot in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-walsh/he-had-absolutely-no-plan-beyond-opening-his-mouth-and-planting-his/) [Haley Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-walsh/) > [“Before opening your mouth to talk, you should open your mind to think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/before-opening-your-mouth-to-talk-you-should-open-your-mind-to-think/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [An artist, if he's unselfish and passionate, is always a living protest. Just to open his mouth is to protest: against conformism, against what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pier-paolo-pasolini/an-artist-if-he-s-unselfish-and-passionate-is-always-a-living-protest/) [Pier Paolo Pasolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pier-paolo-pasolini/) ## More by Bobby McFerrin > [The true musician is to bring light into people's hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-true-musician-is-to-bring-light-into-people-s-hearts/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it's the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-voice-gets-to-the-soul-of-a-person-more-than-any-other-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Then I left that school and I went to Cerritos College, which was in southern California; they had one of the best big band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/then-i-left-that-school-and-i-went-to-cerritos-college-which-was-in/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I have a lot of albums yet to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-have-a-lot-of-albums-yet-to-do/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [The audience is like my instrument. It's not just me up there, it's collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/the-audience-is-like-my-instrument-it-s-not-just-me-up-there-it-s/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Here's a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don't worry, be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/here-s-a-little-song-i-wrote-you-might-want-to-sing-it-note-for-note/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [When we listen to improvisational jazz, or solo classical violinists, the way they phrase and inflect melodies feels vocal, like they’re talking to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/when-we-listen-to-improvisational-jazz-or-solo-classical-violinists/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I do a lot of performing, but don't get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-do-a-lot-of-performing-but-don-t-get-a-chance-to-go-to-the-studio/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-use-the-audience-as-my-color-palette-my-instrument/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-prepared-five-songs-i-sang-them-and-he-hired-me-i-started-working/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-love-the-song-my-songs-are-like-my-children/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/my-biggest-musical-influences-are-probably-my-parents/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [I’m not a scholar or a psychologist, so I don’t really think about why. But I do think about what it means to sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/i-m-not-a-scholar-or-a-psychologist-so-i-don-t-really-think-about-why/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [Remembering that life can be full of surprises is useful in any part of your life. You can try a new way of singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/remembering-that-life-can-be-full-of-surprises-is-useful-in-any-part/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) [Explore all 56 Bobby McFerrin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) ## More Mouths quotes > [But I saw the pain and sadness in everything, and swirled it round my mouth like a fine wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/but-i-saw-the-pain-and-sadness-in-everything-and-swirled-it-round-my/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) > [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [I love a lot of things, a whole lot of things / Like / My cousin comes to visit and you know he's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-greenfield/i-love-a-lot-of-things-a-whole-lot-of-things-like-my-cousin-comes-to/) Eloise Greenfield > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [What we need as Christians is to be able to feed ourselves. How many there are who sit helpless and listless, with open mouths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-need-as-christians-is-to-be-able-to-feed-ourselves-how-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Speak in a low, persuasive tone. Listen; be teachable. Laugh at good stories and learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/keep-the-corners-of-your-mouth-turned-up-speak-in-a-low-persuasive/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Wild honey smells of freedom The dust - of sunlight The mouth of a young girl, like a violet But gold - smells of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/wild-honey-smells-of-freedom-the-dust-of-sunlight-the-mouth-of-a/) [Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/) > [Clary screamed out loud as he fell like a stone- And landed lightly on his feet just in front of her. Clary stared with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-screamed-out-loud-as-he-fell-like-a-stone-and-landed-lightly-on/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Hang on, did you just call me Angel?” I asked. “If I did?” “I don’t like it.” He grinned. “It stays. Angel.” He leaned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/hang-on-did-you-just-call-me-angel-i-asked-if-i-did-i-don-t-like-it/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) Browse all 3,141 Mouths quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about anything. 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