Michael Jackson

My mother's wonderful. To me she's perfection.

— Michael Jackson

I have no problem with them imitating [me]. It's a compliment. Everybody has to start out looking up to someone. For me it was James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Wilson, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly.

— Michael Jackson

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.

— Michael Jackson

I have begun to see that even my father's harshness was a kind of love. An imperfect love, to be sure, but love nonetheless. He pushed me because he loved me, because he wanted no man to ever look down at his offspring. Now with time, rather than bitterness I feel blessing.… My initial fury has slowly given way to forgiveness.

— Michael Jackson

I put a lot of mannequins in my room in the past, and I still have mannequins in my room, because I used to be very lonely, painfully lonely. You have no idea. I used to walk the streets looking for people to talk to. I'm talking about the height of one's career…. I would walk up to them, strangers, and say, "will you be my friend?" They'd go, "my god, Michael Jackson!" and that's not what I wanted.

— Michael Jackson

The record companies really do conspire against the artists. They steal. They cheat. They do whatever they can, especially the black artists.… Sony's Tommy Mottola is the president of the record division. He is mean. He is a racist, and he's very, very, very devilish.

— Michael Jackson

The minute I started breaking the all-time record in record sales—I broke Elvis's records, I broke Beatles records—the minute it became the all-time best-selling album in the history of the Guinness Book of World Records, overnight they called me a freak. They called me a homosexual. They called me a child molester. They said I bleached my skin. They made everything to turn the public against me.

— Michael Jackson

I know my race. I just look in the mirror. I know I'm black.

— Michael Jackson

I'm just like anyone. I cut and I bleed. And I embarass easily.

— Michael Jackson

I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail. Here in America we create new opportunities out of adversity, not punitive laws, and we should look to new technologies like Apple's new Music Store for solutions. This way, innovation continues to be the hallmark of America. It is the fans that drive the success of the music business.

— Michael Jackson

Lies run sprints but the truth runs marathons.

— Michael Jackson

Look beyond yourself..

— Michael Jackson

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.

— Michael Jackson

I wake up from dreams and go, 'Wow, put this down on paper.' The whole thing is strange. You hear the words, everything is right there in front of your face. And you say to yourself, 'I'm sorry, I just didn't write this. It's there already.' That's why I hate to take credit for the songs I've written. I feel that somewhere, someplace, it's been done and I'm just a courier bringing it into the world. I really believe that. I love what I do. I'm happy at what I do. It's escapism.

— Michael Jackson

OK, number one. There, as I know of, there is no such thing as skin bleaching... I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin, it's something that I cannot help, OK? But, when people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me. It's a problem for me, I can't control it.

— Michael Jackson

I always wanted to do music that influences and inspires each generation. Lets face it, who wants mortality?

— Michael Jackson

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.

— Michael Jackson

It's all for love... With the love, L.O.V.E.

— Michael Jackson

I rememeber one time we were getting ready to go to South America and everything was packed up and in the car ready to go and I hid and I was crying because I really did not want to go, I wanted to play. I did not want to go.

— Michael Jackson

But I will never stop helping and loving people the way Jesus said to.

— Michael Jackson

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.

— Michael Jackson

My mother's wonderful. To me she's perfection.

— Michael Jackson

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

— Michael Jackson

I'm a black American, I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am. I have a lot of pride and dignity.

— Michael Jackson

When I see children, I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much. That's what I see.

— Michael Jackson

Children show me in their playful smiles the divine in everyone. This simple goodness shines straight from their hearts and only asks to be loved.

— Michael Jackson

I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of my skin, it's something that I cannot help, OK?

— Michael Jackson

People write negatives things, cause they feel that's what sells. Good news to them, doesn't sell.

— Michael Jackson

And I remember going to the record studio and there was a park across the street and I'd see all the children playing and I would cry because it would make me sad that I would have to work instead.

— Michael Jackson

I was a veteran, before I was a teenager.

— Michael Jackson

There were times when I had great times with my brothers, pillow fights and things, but I was, used to always cry from loneliness.

— Michael Jackson

Well, you don't get to do things that other children get to do, having friends and slumber parties and buddies. There were none of that for me. I didn't have friends when I was little. My brothers were my friends.

— Michael Jackson

Well Brooke, I've always liked her, and when I was little I used to stay with Diana Ross, me and my brothers stayed with her for years and I never said, but I always had a crush on her.

— Michael Jackson

I will say again that I have never, and would never, harm a child. It sickens me that people have written untrue things about me.

— Michael Jackson

Please keep an open mind and let me have my day in court.

— Michael Jackson

Me and Janet really are two different people.

— Michael Jackson

I don't understand why the press is so interested in speculating about my appearance, anyway. What does my face have to do with my music or my dancing?

— Michael Jackson

You know, let's put it this way, if all the people in Hollywood who have had plastic surgery, if they went on vacation, there wouldn't be a person left in town.

— Michael Jackson

Well, especially now I come to realize - and then - I would do my schooling which was three hours with a tutor and right after that I would go to the recording studio and record, and I'd record for hours and hours until it's time to go to sleep.

— Michael Jackson

I love my family very much. I wish I could see them a little more often than I do. But we understand because we're a show business family and we all work.

— Michael Jackson

They did it to try and belittle me, to try and to take away my pride. But I went through the whole system with them. And at the end, I - I wanted the public to know that I was okay, even though I was hurting.

— Michael Jackson

Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation.

— Michael Jackson

I'm happy to be alive, I'm happy to be who I am.

— Michael Jackson

The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation.

— Michael Jackson

I'm never pleased with anything, I'm a perfectionist, it's part of who I am.

— Michael Jackson

I'm just like anyone. I cut and I bleed. And I embarass easily.

— Michael Jackson

Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrists.

— Michael Jackson

Just because it's in print doesn't mean it's the gospel.

— Michael Jackson

I just wish I could understand my father.

— Michael Jackson

Everything that I love is behind those gates. We have elephants, and giraffes, and crocodiles, and every kind of tigers and lions. And - and we have bus loads of kids, who don't get to see those things. They come up sick children, and enjoy it.

— Michael Jackson

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

— Michael Jackson

I rememeber one time we were getting ready to go to South America and everything was packed up and in the car ready to go and I hid and I was crying because I really did not want to go, I wanted to play. I did not want to go.

— Michael Jackson

Because I wanted to have a place that I could create everything that I that I never had as a child. So, you see rides. You see animals. There's a movie theater.

— Michael Jackson

Yes, and I had pimples so badly it used to make me so shy. I used not to look at myself. I'd hide my face in the dark, I wouldn't want to look in the mirror and my father teased me and I just hated it and I cried everyday.

— Michael Jackson

It's a complete lie, why do people buy these papers? It's not the truth I'm here to say. You know, don't judge a person, do not pass judgement, unless you have talked to them one on one. I don't care what the story is, do not judge them because it is a lie.

— Michael Jackson

Because I think every child star suffers through this period because you're not the cute and charming child that you were. You start to grow, and they want to keep you little forever.

— Michael Jackson

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.

— Michael Jackson

Yeah, Wacko Jacko, where did that come from? Some English tabloid. I have a heart and I have feelings. I feel that when you do that to me. It's not nice.

— Michael Jackson

People write negatives things, cause they feel that's what sells. Good news to them, doesn't sell.

— Michael Jackson

Because parents have power over children. They feel they have to do what their parents say. But the love of money is the root of all evil. And this is a sweet child. And to see him turn like this, this isn't him. This is not him.

— Michael Jackson

Elizabeth Taylor is gorgeous, beautiful, and she still is today, I'm crazy about her.

— Michael Jackson

I've helped many, many, many children, thousands of children, cancer kids, leukemia kids.

— Michael Jackson

The Bee Gees who are brilliant, I just love great music.

— Michael Jackson

Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation.

— Michael Jackson

When they say the sky's the limit to me that's really true

— Michael Jackson

My mother's wonderful. To me she's perfection.

— Michael Jackson

The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation.

— Michael Jackson

Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation.

— Michael Jackson

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.

— Michael Jackson

I'm starting with the man in the mirror,

— Michael Jackson

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

— Michael Jackson

Please go for your dreams. Whatever your ideals, you can become whatever you want to become.

— Michael Jackson

Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons.

— Michael Jackson

When I see children, I see the face of God. That's why I love them so much. That's what I see.

— Michael Jackson