“I love the voice – it’s the most perfect instrument ever heard. It’s God given.”

Sometimes I intentionally cut it off. I just want to be in silence, especially when I’m traveling. I watch movies without sound.

The search is more important than the destination.

In my case, dust has become gold: Today, I work with people I grew up admiring.

When you do something with a lot of honesty, appetite and commitment, the input reflects the output.

I was a common man, and I will always remain a common man. No amount of stardom will ever consume my soul. Money comes, money goes. Fame comes, fame goes. I believe every human being is a celebrity in their own right.

The idea of music is to liberate the listener and lead him to a frame where he feels he is elevated.

Music knows no barrier of age or culture. It isn’t about being politically correct or even making a statement. Music is what appeals to the ears and touches your soul.

While other creators make a big show of their art Mani Sir makes it look as though anyone can do what he does.

The more I compose, the more I know that I don’t know it all. I think it’s a good way to start. If you think you know it all, the work becomes a repetition of what you’ve already done.

That’s a sound design thing but then we wanted to do music that would not disturb it and at the same time drive it.

Success comes to those who dedicate everything to their passion in life. To be successful, it is also very important to be humble and never let fame or money travel to your head.

There is only one of the two that can reside in our hearts, GOD or ego. If GOD is in ego is out.

I like music that is able to stir my soul. My music is a spiritual exercise

I love classical music. I love a lot of musicians playing together and the whole culture of that, whether it’s Indian or it’s Western.

After a point of time, when you get success and fame, money and everything, the purpose of life has to be redefined. For me, I think that purpose is to build bridges. Artists can do that very easily, more than politicians.

Your best success comes after your greatest disappointment.

Give me a guitar and I’ll play; give me a stage and I’ll perform; give me an auditorium and I’ll fill it.

The first guitar I ever had was a gut-string Spanish guitar, and I couldn’t really get the hang of it. I was only 13, and I talked my grandparents into buying it for me. I tried and tried and tried, but got nowhere with it.

I bet you can’t play slide piano.

I actually wanted to be a drummer, but I didn’t have any drums.

The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace.

I’m a bad guitar tuner. I have to pay somebody to tune my guitars.

It just seemed to me that the way I played was nice. I could hear it myself.

I realised a long time ago that instrumental music speaks a lot more clearly than English, Spanish, Yiddish, Swahili, any other language. Pure melody goes outside time.