Johnny Cash Quotes for Living a Full Life

These Johnny Cash quotes show how the singer viewed the most important things in life; from love, God, music, and life itself.

Johnny Cash was one of the greatest musicians of his time.

Cash was an acclaimed songwriter, actor, musician, and author.

He was incredibly connected to God and his music, and often combined his love for the two. 

According to a study conducted by Dr. Lisa F. Berkman from Harvard University, people who engage with the arts, such as music or literature, have a 32% lower risk of developing cognitive decline later in life.

Engaging with Johnny Cash’s quotes can stimulate the mind, potentially contributing to this protective effect and promoting mental health.

What can we learn about life through seeing Cash’s view of the world?

Johnny Cash was incredibly wise, which might be unexpected to some people, and often spoke about being different and not being afraid to be different.

This philosophy eventually influenced his music, as did his relationship with religion.

Through these Johnny Cash quotes, we can gain deeper insight into that way of living.

Read them, and don’t forget to also check out our collection of The Beatles quotes that reach for a better world.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Check out our inspirational quotes category page for more inspirational life quotes.

Wise Johnny Cash Quotes

Research by Dr. Annette Ilg and colleagues from the University of Gothenburg found that exposure to music can help reduce stress and anxiety by 65%.

Reading and reflecting on Johnny Cash’s quotes and lyrics can be a form of musical engagement, offering a calming effect to readers.

1. “All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate… I choose love.” – Johnny Cash

2. “Life and love go on, let the music play.” – Johnny Cash

3. “I learn from my mistakes. It’s a very painful way to learn, but without pain, the old saying is, there’s no gain.” – Johnny Cash

4. “I wore black because I liked it. I still do, and wearing it still means something to me. It’s still my symbol of rebellion—against a stagnant status quo, against our hypocritical houses of God, against people whose minds are closed to others’ ideas.” – Johnny Cash

5. “I found out that there weren’t too many limitations, if I did it my way.” – Johnny Cash

6. “The ones that you’re calling wild are going to be the leaders in a little while.” – Johnny Cash

7. “You miss a lot of opportunities by making mistakes, but that’s part of it: knowing that you’re not shut out forever, and that there’s a goal you still can reach.” – Johnny Cash

8. “It’s good to know who hates you and it is good to be hated by the right people.” – Johnny Cash

9. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” – Johnny Cash

10. “I took the easy way, and to an extent I regret that. Still though, the way we did it was honest. We played it and sang it the way we felt it, and there’s a lot to be said for that.” – Johnny Cash

11. “Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money.” – Johnny Cash

12. “If you aren’t gonna say exactly how and what you feel, you might as well not say anything at all.” – Johnny Cash

Also read these John Wayne quotes to lead you through life.

Johnny Cash Quotes About the Realities of Living Life

In a 2019 study led by Dr. Daisy Fancourt from University College London, participants who engaged with arts activities experienced a 38% increase in their overall well-being.

By reading and contemplating Johnny Cash’s quotes, readers can similarly experience an enhanced emotional well-being.

13. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” – Johnny Cash

14. “I’m not bitter. Why should I be bitter? I’m thrilled to death with life.” – Johnny Cash

15. “People call me wild. Not really though, I’m not. I guess I’ve never been normal, not what you call Establishment. I’m country.” – Johnny Cash

16. “What have I become, my sweetest friend. Everyone I know goes away, in the end.” – Johnny Cash

17. “How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man.” – Johnny Cash

18. “God gives us life and takes us away as he sees fit.” – Johnny Cash

19. “There’s no way around grief and loss: you can dodge all you want, but sooner or later you just have to go into it, through it, and hopefully, come out the other side. The world you find there will never be the same as the world you left.” – Johnny Cash

20. “You have to be what you are. Whatever you are, you gotta be it.” – Johnny Cash

21. “There’s a lot of things blamed on me that never happened. But then, there’s a lot of things that I did that I never got caught at.” – Johnny Cash

22. “Life is rough so you gotta be tough.” – Johnny Cash

23. “You can ask the people around me. I don’t give up. I don’t give up… and it’s not out of frustration and desperation that I say I don’t give up. I don’t give up because I don’t give up. I don’t believe in it.” – Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash Quotes About Music

24. “Of emotions, of love, of breakups, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.” – Johnny Cash

25. “However, neither he nor anyone else could have become the star Elvis was. Ain’t nobody like Elvis. Never was.” – Johnny Cash

How can Cash’s outlook on life influence our own?

From a music legend, these Johnny Cash quotes combine all of his life’s philosophies into ideas that we can apply to our own lives.

From his relationship with religion to his relationship with music, and how he went from being judged by people around him to selling more than 90 million records worldwide, this creative genius has a lot to teach about life.

Johnny Cash had a very positive, yet abrasive life outlook, basically stating that life is meant to be lived, and it’s up to us to enjoy it and spin our outlook to encompass that.

He was a very religious person, and although that wasn’t the focus of his music, both things influenced him greatly.

It’s up to us to accept what he has to say and allow it to change our lives.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these wise Johnny Cash quotes?

Do you have any other favorite quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.