--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she…" description: "\"“I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she thought Prince was in his theological questioning. ‘I felt it was showbiz for me,’ she told me. ‘I did not relat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg" --- # I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she thought Prince was… ![“I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she thought Prince was in his theological questioning. ‘I felt it was showbiz for me,’ she told me. ‘I did not relate personally. But part of the beauty of it back then is that there were Jews, Mexicans, blacks, whites, gays and straights in his band. Everyone had…” quote by Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg) > ““I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she thought Prince was in his theological questioning. ‘I felt it was showbiz for me,’ she told me. ‘I did not relate personally. But part of the beauty of it back then is that there were Jews, Mexicans, blacks, whites, gays and straights in his band. Everyone had their own opinions and they were tolerated and embraced.’ Lisa Coleman developed this thought. ‘I felt when I first joined the band he thought it was more important to pose questions than to get answers, and somewhere along the line he looked at it and now he doesn’t pose the questions any more, he tells you what the answers are. That counts a lot of people out.’ Wendy agreed: ‘He always had a tendency to speak in parables. He’s not a clear talker. He can speak quickly and monosyllabically and get to the point of what he wants, but when you get down to really philosophical questions and get into a conversation it can become very difficult to follow. He has a different language that he’s learned.”” [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prince encouraged diverse perspectives in his band, but later shifted to presenting answers rather than fostering open philosophical dialogue **In simple terms:** Initially inclusive, later became directive Key Takeaway Encourage open dialogue, avoid imposing answers Themes inclusion diversity communication Mood thoughtful critical inspirational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - music collaboration - team meetings - public speaking - creative workshops Key Concepts philosophical questioning leadership style cultural representation Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance guidance with openness? - What benefits arise from diverse viewpoints? A Different Perspective Risk of stifling individual thought when leader dominates ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Wendy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-wendy-2831122/) [Melvoin Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melvoin-thought-2831123/) [People Wendy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-wendy-2831124/) [Questioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) [Thought Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-prince-2831121/) [Truth Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-seeking/) ## Related quotes > [I thought you were my prince and I was your princess but now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-thought-you-were-my-prince-and-i-was-your-princess-but-now/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm not going to let anyone Wendy me." "Wendy you? What the hell does that mean?"Talbot asked. "Wendy, from Peter Pan! Peter and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/i-m-not-going-to-let-anyone-wendy-me-wendy-you-what-the-hell-does/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [“What’s your name?’ he asked. ‘Wendy Moira Angela Darling,’ she replied with some satisfaction. ‘What is your name?’ ‘Peter Pan.’ She was already sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-barrie/what-s-your-name-he-asked-wendy-moira-angela-darling-she-replied-with/) [J.M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-barrie/) > [“Advances are made by answering questions. Discoveries are made by questioning answers. —Bernard Haisch”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-houston/advances-are-made-by-answering-questions-discoveries-are-made-by/) [Philip Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-houston/) > [“Every questioning is a seeking. Every seeking takes its direction beforehand from what is sought. Questioning is a knowing search for beings in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/every-questioning-is-a-seeking-every-seeking-takes-its-direction/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [“As far as I am concerned, philosophic questioning is just as likely to make you confused and depressed as it is to improve your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/as-far-as-i-am-concerned-philosophic-questioning-is-just-as-likely-to/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [“If questioning would make us wise no eyes would ever gaze in eyes; if all of our tale were told in speech, no mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-archer/if-questioning-would-make-us-wise-no-eyes-would-ever-gaze-in-eyes-if/) [Bill Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-archer/) > [This wasn’t the first time I’d been pulled out of bed for a crucial mission. It was, however, the first time I’d been subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/this-wasn-t-the-first-time-i-d-been-pulled-out-of-bed-for-a-crucial/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Queer is about intense questioning that can't be made nice and glossy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/queer-is-about-intense-questioning-that-can-t-be-made-nice-and-glossy/) [Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/) > [“Assiduous and frequent questioning is indeed the first key to wisdom... for by doubting we come to inquiry; through inquiring we perceive the truth...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abelard/assiduous-and-frequent-questioning-is-indeed-the-first-key-to-wisdom/) [Peter Abelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abelard/) > [Those obstinate questionings Of sense and outward things, Fallings from us, vanishings; Blank misgivings of a Creature Moving about in worlds not realised, High…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/those-obstinate-questionings-of-sense-and-outward-things-fallings/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [Having the answers is not essential to living. What is essential is the sense of God's presence during dark seasons of questioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/having-the-answers-is-not-essential-to-living-what-is-essential-is/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [After sixty, the self-questioning of middle age is obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/after-sixty-the-self-questioning-of-middle-age-is-obsolete/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I ask people questions I already know just to see if they lie or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ask-people-questions-i-already-know-just-to-see-if-they-lie-or-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The questioning is a stupid formality aimed exclusively at preventing us from speaking at the demonstration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/the-questioning-is-a-stupid-formality-aimed-exclusively-at-preventing/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) ## More by Matt Thorne > [“Among the many ecstatic notices, Robert Christgau, the self-appointed ‘dean of American rock critics’, put it best, in a review that would still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/among-the-many-ecstatic-notices-robert-christgau-the-self-appointed/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) > [“I have a lot of problems with fifteen-minute jazz-funk jams as well. I don’t care about instrumental prowess. I don’t care about quick-thinking improvisational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/i-have-a-lot-of-problems-with-fifteen-minute-jazz-funk-jams-as-well-i/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) > [“America” came from a massive jam,’ Wendy told me. ‘We were playing and rehearsing for hours and hours and we hit on this one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/america-came-from-a-massive-jam-wendy-told-me-we-were-playing-and/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) > [“Wendy goes further, and although she has worked with him on several occasions since the disbandment of The Revolution – and wanted to emphasise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/wendy-goes-further-and-although-she-has-worked-with-him-on-several/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) > [“Bob Cavallo remembers early on in the process, ‘We were at odds with each other. Our contract was up; five years had gone by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/bob-cavallo-remembers-early-on-in-the-process-we-were-at-odds-with/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) > [“Steve Durkee had left not on friendly terms, which is not unusual in the Paisley world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/steve-durkee-had-left-not-on-friendly-terms-which-is-not-unusual-in/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) > [“Mick Jagger should fold up his penis and go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/mick-jagger-should-fold-up-his-penis-and-go-home/) [Matt Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) [Explore all 8 Matt Thorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/) ## More Questioning quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [“Because I am a transvestite, people often assume that this gives me a special insight into the opposite gender. But this is rubbish: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/because-i-am-a-transvestite-people-often-assume-that-this-gives-me-a/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [My dad's quite a conservative person, and he brought me up to be very questioning of the commercial world. He looked down on pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/my-dad-s-quite-a-conservative-person-and-he-brought-me-up-to-be-very/) [Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/) > [I had to smile when stories emerged questioning whether I was gay. Obviously I knew I wasn't but people were curiously desperate to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-had-to-smile-when-stories-emerged-questioning-whether-i-was-gay/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [Art, if it is successful in the task of questioning reality, if it is good painting and not merely a performance of dexterity, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swift/art-if-it-is-successful-in-the-task-of-questioning-reality-if-it-is/) [Patrick Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swift/) > [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [As the generalization goes about the art industry, people can be really challenging and thought-provoking in their thinking and questioning the status quo, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/as-the-generalization-goes-about-the-art-industry-people-can-be/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) > [By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dell/by-questioning-all-the-aspects-of-our-business-we-continuously-inject/) [Michael Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dell/) > [In Europe, Henk Tennekes was dismissed as research director of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Society after questioning the scientific underpinnings of global warming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lindzen/in-europe-henk-tennekes-was-dismissed-as-research-director-of-the/) [Richard Lindzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lindzen/) > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. It took me a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/growing-up-in-that-fashion-is-a-breeding-ground-for-insecurity-and/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [As the rain falls and the sun shines, they grow, grow, grow; minds so open, they go through life aware and accepting, seeing light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/as-the-rain-falls-and-the-sun-shines-they-grow-grow-grow-minds-so/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Ever wondered why you dream the things you do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/ever-wondered-why-you-dream-the-things-you-do/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [“I need to ask, are you afraid of spiders?" Nicholas blinked, suddenly caught off guard, "Yes, I'm afraid of spiders." "Were you always?" "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-irwin/i-need-to-ask-are-you-afraid-of-spiders-nicholas-blinked-suddenly/) [Stephen M. Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-irwin/) [Browse all 984 Questioning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she thought Prince was in his theological questioning. ‘I felt it was showbiz for me,’ she told me. ‘I did not relate personally. But part of the beauty of it back then is that there were Jews, Mexicans, blacks, whites, gays and straights in his band. Everyone had their own opinions and they were tolerated and embraced.’ Lisa Coleman developed this thought. ‘I felt when I first joined the band he thought it was more important to pose questions than to get answers, and somewhere along the line he looked at it and now he doesn’t pose the questions any more, he tells you what the answers are. That counts a lot of people out.’ Wendy agreed: ‘He always had a tendency to speak in parables. He’s not a clear talker. He can speak quickly and monosyllabically and get to the point of what he wants, but when you get down to really philosophical questions and get into a conversation it can become very difficult to follow. He has a different language that he’s learned.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matt Thorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-thought-prince-was-in-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Questioning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-thought-prince-was-in-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/matt-thorne-48353_truth-seeking_i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-th_1092460.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious she thought Prince was in his theological questioning. ‘I felt it was…” — Matt Thorne", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Matt Thorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-thorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I asked Wendy Melvoin how serious...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-thought-prince-was-in-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-thorne/i-asked-wendy-melvoin-how-serious-she-thought-prince-was-in-his/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```