Quotes

I can't think of a better way to spread the message of world peace than by working with the NFL and being part of Super Bowl XXVII.

I don't like pop music.

I'll always be Peter Pan in my heart.

People think they know me, but they don't. Not really. Actually, I am one of the loneliest people on this earth. I cry sometimes, because it hurts. It does. To be honest, I guess you could say that it hurts to be me.

"Just because you read it in a magazine or see it on a TV screen doesn't make it factual. To buy it is to feed it." - about tabloid magazines.

I made a terrible mistake. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, and the best is yet to come." (1999)

There is a lot of sadness in my past life. My father beat me. It was difficult to take being beaten and then going on stage. He was strict; very hard and stern.

Elizabeth Taylor used to feed me, to hand-feed me, at times. Please, I don't want anybody to think I'm starving, I'm not. My health is perfect, actually.

I just want to say to fans in every corner of the earth, every nationality, every race, every language: I love you from the bottom of my heart. I would love your prayers and your goodwill, and please be patient and be with me and believe in me because I am completely, completely innocent. But please know a lot of conspiracy is going on as we speak.

Marlon Brando has been pushing. He's a wonderful man. He's a god. He wants a lot of money. He wants to get things done right now. - On a video about acting which he was planning to make with Brando in 2001

Elizabeth Taylor is a warm cuddly blanket that I love to snuggle up to and cover myself with. I can confide in her and trust her. She's Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, the Queen of England, and Wendy.

I trusted Martin Bashir to come into my life and that of my family because I wanted the truth to be told. Martin Bashir persuaded me to trust him that his would be an honest and fair portrayal of my life and told me that he was the man that turned Diana's life around. I am surprised that a professional journalist would compromise his integrity by deceiving me in this way. Today I feel more betrayed than perhaps ever before; that someone, who had got to know my children, my staff and me, whom I let into my heart and told the truth, could then sacrifice the trust I placed in him and produce this terrible and unfair programme. Everyone who knows me will know the truth which is that my children come first in my life and that I would never harm any child. I also want to thank my fans around the world for the overwhelming number of messages of support that I have received, particularly from Great Britain, where people have e-mailed me and said how appalled they were by the Bashir film. Their love and support has touched me greatly.

I was coming out of the shower and I fell and all my body weight - I'm pretty fragile - all my body weight fell against my rib cage. And I bruised my lung very badly.

I love my children. I was holding my son tight. Why would I throw a baby off the balcony? That's the dumbest, stupidest story I ever heard.

I think that it's demeaning and disrespectful but I also want to make it clear it's not just about me but a pattern of disrespect that he has shown to our community. He needs to stop it and he needs to stop it now. - On Eminem's video for "Just Lose It

I have spent my entire life helping millions of children across the world. I would never harm a child. It is unfortunate that some individuals have seen fit to come forward and make a complaint that is completely false. Years ago, I settled with certain individuals because I was concerned about my family and the media scrutiny that would have ensued if I fought the matter in court. These people wanted to exploit my concern for children by threatening to destroy what I believe in and what I do. I have been a vulnerable target for those who want money.

I am always writing a potpourri of music. I want to give the world escapism through the wonder of great music and to reach the masses.

I'm a visionary and a creative person. God blessed me with certain talents. I hate to use an analogy, but Walt Disney was creative but not good with business. His brother Roy handled the books. He loved creating family-oriented entertainment and so do I. I feel that was a gift and I have that gift also. I'm very honored to have been chosen.

"When I saw him move I was mesmerized. I've never seen a performer perform like James Brown and right then and there I knew that that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Success definitely brings on loneliness. People think you're lucky, that you have everything. They think you can go anywhere and do anything, but that's not the point. One hungers for the basic stuff.

My father was a management genius. But what I really wanted was a dad.

I've been in the entertainment industry since I was six-years-old ... As Charles Dickens says, 'It's been the best of times, the worst of times.' But I would not change my career ... While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me. (2007)

[on his career] It all went by so fast, didn't it? I wish I could do it all over again, I really do.

[on refuting persistent rumors of skin surgery or bleaching] If I had a chance to talk to Michelangelo, I would ask him what inspired him to become who he is, the anatomy of his craftsmanship, not about who he dated last night or why he decided to sit out in the sun so long.

When I was 16, we were doing Las Vegas every night, and Elvis Presley and Sammy Davis Jr. would sit me and my brothers in a row and lecture us. 'Don't ever do drugs,' they told us. I never forgot it.

Music has been my outlet, my gift to all of the lovers in this world. Through it, my music, I know I will live forever.

You have to have that tragedy, that pain to pull from. That's what makes a clown great. You can see he's hurting behind the masquerade. He's something else externally. Charles Chaplin did that so beautifully, better than anyone. I can play off those moments, too. I've been through the fire many times.

I never had the chance to do the fun things kids do: sleepovers, parties, trick-or-treat. There was no Christmas, no holiday celebrating. So now you try to compensate for some of that loss.

My father is a much nicer person now. I think he realizes his children are everything. Without your family, you have nothing. He's a nice human being. At one time, we'd be horrified if he just showed up. We were scared to death. He turned out really well. I wish it wasn't so late.

I'm still fascinated by clouds and the sunset. I was making wishes on the rainbow yesterday. I saw the meteor shower. I made a wish every time I saw a shooting star.

I have confidence in my abilities. I have real perseverance. Nothing can stop me when I put my mind to it.

I never think about themes. I let the music create itself. I like it to be a potpourri of all kinds of sounds, all kinds of colors, something for everybody, from the farmer in Ireland to the lady who scrubs toilets in Harlem.

I've had people come to me, and after meeting me, they start crying. I say, "Why are you crying?" They say, "Because I thought you would be stuck up, but you're the nicest person." I say, "Who gave you this judgment?" They tell me they read it. I tell them, "Don't you believe what you read."

When I'm on stage, it's like a two-hour marathon. I weigh myself before and after each show, and I lose a good 10 pounds. Sweat is all over the stage. Then you get to your hotel and your adrenaline is at its zenith and you can't fall asleep. And you've got a show the next day. It's tough.

[on calling himself the 'King of Pop'] I never self-proclaimed myself to be anything. If I called up Elizabeth Taylor right now, she would tell you that she coined the phrase. She was introducing me, I think at the American Music Awards, and said in her own words - it wasn't in the script - "I'm a personal fan, and in my opinion he is the king of pop, rock and soul." Then the press started saying "King of Pop" and the fans started. This self-proclaimed garbage, I don't know who said that.

I sit in my room at home and sometimes cry. It's so hard to make friends. Sometimes I walk around the neighbourhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just end up coming home.

[on being asked what he thought his funeral would be like in 2002] It's going to be the greatest show on Earth. That's what I want. Fireworks and everything.

[on recording in Ireland in 2006] I've never given up on making music. Ireland has inspired me to make a great new album.

If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.

I am the captain of my ship. I take suggestions and listen to what everyone has to say, but the final decision is mine.

[on his father] He is a very jealous father. He isn't gonna show you love, but anybody that gets closer to us than him he would tell them, 'Leave my boys alone!' To tell you the truth, I never have felt close to him. He has always been like a mystery man.

I would like some way to disappear where people don't see me anymore at some point. I don't want to grow old. I never want to look in the mirror and see that.

The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work.

In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.

Why can't you share your bed? The most loving thing you can do is share your bed with someone. It's very charming. It's very sweet. It's what the whole world should do.

A star can never die. It just turns into a smile and melts back into the cosmic music, the dance of life.

[the three most important rules for any aspiring pop star] Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

To me, nothing is more important than making people happy, giving them a release from their problems and worries, helping to lighten their load.