--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nina Simone's music is incredibly honest…" description: "\"Nina Simone's music is incredibly honest. That's like saying, \"Why does Jesus' word still stay around?\" It's incredibly honest and it's good.\" — Nikki ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/nikki-giovanni-1757_doe_nina-simone-s-music-is-incredibly-honest_3042997.png" --- # Nina Simone's music is incredibly honest. That's like… ![“Nina Simone's music is incredibly honest. That's like saying, "Why does Jesus' word still stay around?" It's incredibly honest and it's good.” quote by Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/nikki-giovanni-1757_doe_nina-simone-s-music-is-incredibly-honest_3042997.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/nikki-giovanni-1757_doe_nina-simone-s-music-is-incredibly-honest_3042997.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/nikki-giovanni-1757_doe_nina-simone-s-music-is-incredibly-honest_3042997.png) > “Nina Simone's music is incredibly honest. That's like saying, "Why does Jesus' word still stay around?" It's incredibly honest and it's good.” [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nina Simone’s music is praised for its raw honesty, likened to the enduring truth of spiritual teachings. **In simple terms:** Simone’s music is brutally honest and timeless. Key Takeaway Value honesty in artistic expression. Themes art authenticity spirituality Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - music criticism - faith discussions - creative writing Key Concepts cultural critique music history Questions to Reflect On - What role does honesty play in your creative work? - How does authenticity affect audience reception? A Different Perspective Honesty can be perceived as harsh or confrontational. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Jesus words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus-words/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [ I just think she was a wonderful woman. What I think of when I think of Nina \[Simone\] is someone that I could relate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-just-think-she-was-a-wonderful-woman-what-i-think-of-when-i-think/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ I prefer her \[Nina Simone's\] jazz period much more so than her folk period. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-prefer-her-nina-simone-s-jazz-period-much-more-so-than-her-folk/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I think it's the strength of her music, using art to make a statement. I think it really is. It was not a cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-think-it-s-the-strength-of-her-music-using-art-to-make-a-statement/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ I think that too many strangers were in her \[Nina Simone's\] life, and not enough people that she knew and loved. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-think-that-too-many-strangers-were-in-her-nina-simone-s-life-and/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ I used to go up to her house. She lived upstate \[in New York\] and I lived in Manhattan; you're living in a lot… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-used-to-go-up-to-her-house-she-lived-upstate-in-new-york-and-i/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ I was responding to one thing for the woman I knew, and there's another thing for what did she give, right. She \[Nina Simone\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-was-responding-to-one-thing-for-the-woman-i-knew-and-there-s/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ I knew Stokely \[Carmichael\] and them, but when you got to that, you saw that Nina Simone started to take up their burden. She… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-knew-stokely-carmichael-and-them-but-when-you-got-to-that-you-saw/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [We just didn't put any pressure on each other, and I think that everybody needs somebody, and I didn't do it to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/we-just-didn-t-put-any-pressure-on-each-other-and-i-think-that/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ I wish that she had had a black loon because I don't think that Nina \[Simone\] did. I have always had - I've been… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-wish-that-she-had-had-a-black-loon-because-i-don-t-think-that-nina/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I am of the generation of segregation. Black Lives Matter is post. I said today, and I will say all the time, "If Nina…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-am-of-the-generation-of-segregation-black-lives-matter-is-post-i/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I think it's fair to say that Nina Simone was a prodigy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/i-think-it-s-fair-to-say-that-nina-simone-was-a-prodigy/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [I write to music, and Nina Simone is always on my playlist to write to. I mean, shes inspiring. She's truthful and real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/i-write-to-music-and-nina-simone-is-always-on-my-playlist-to-write-to/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [My big influences are Joni Mitchell, and a lot of classical and Indian music, as well as Nina Simone and the personal blues and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yael-naim/my-big-influences-are-joni-mitchell-and-a-lot-of-classical-and-indian/) [Yael Naim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yael-naim/) > [I'm like a middle-aged person; when my friends go on about modern bands, I don't know what they are talking about. I'm into rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-may-jagger/i-m-like-a-middle-aged-person-when-my-friends-go-on-about-modern/) [Georgia May Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-may-jagger/) > [There are singers that I have enjoyed, from Nina Simone and Ray Charles onward. But the music that made music the number one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wyatt/there-are-singers-that-i-have-enjoyed-from-nina-simone-and-ray/) [Robert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wyatt/) ## More by Nikki Giovanni > [ I just think she was a wonderful woman. What I think of when I think of Nina \[Simone\] is someone that I could relate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-just-think-she-was-a-wonderful-woman-what-i-think-of-when-i-think/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [It's really just interesting to ask: why not? And see where that takes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/it-s-really-just-interesting-to-ask-why-not-and-see-where-that-takes/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I am ever fascinated by the human experience and by, actually, human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-am-ever-fascinated-by-the-human-experience-and-by-actually-human/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [You do what you can with what you have. You have to work the edges whatever they are. The main thing is keeping your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/you-do-what-you-can-with-what-you-have-you-have-to-work-the-edges/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/mistakes-are-a-fact-of-life-it-is-the-response-to-the-error-that/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I’ve not learned the acceptable way of saying you fascinate me...I’ve not even learned how to say I like you without frightening people away-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-ve-not-learned-the-acceptable-way-of-saying-you-fascinate-me-i-ve/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ever been kidnapped by a poet if i were a poet i'd kidnap you put you in my phrases and meter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/ever-been-kidnapped-by-a-poet-if-i-were-a-poet-i-d-kidnap-you-put-you/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [We love because it's the only true adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/we-love-because-it-s-the-only-true-adventure/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [Young people coming up who are having difficulty with their so-called celebrity need to get back into their lives. It's your life and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/young-people-coming-up-who-are-having-difficulty-with-their-so-called/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [ \[To become a poet\] The most important thing is to pay attention. The next would probably be to read; it's so important to pay… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/to-become-a-poet-the-most-important-thing-is-to-pay-attention-the/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [daddy says the world is a drum tight and hard and i told him i’m gonna beat out my own rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/daddy-says-the-world-is-a-drum-tight-and-hard-and-i-told-him-i-m/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [We eat up artists like there's going to be a famine at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/we-eat-up-artists-like-there-s-going-to-be-a-famine-at-the-end/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [Life is a process where people mix and match, fall apart and come back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/life-is-a-process-where-people-mix-and-match-fall-apart-and-come-back/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [The trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans. I say, the trip to Mars can only be understood through Black Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/the-trip-to-mars-can-only-be-understood-through-black-americans-i-say/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [War is not a jobs program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/war-is-not-a-jobs-program/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) [Explore all 210 Nikki Giovanni quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) ## More Doe quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? 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