Mahalia Jackson, born on October 26, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a pioneering American gospel singer and civil rights activist. Known as the “Queen of Gospel,” Jackson’s powerful contralto voice and impassioned performances played a pivotal role in popularizing gospel music worldwide. Rising to prominence in the 1940s, she recorded numerous gospel standards such as “Move On Up a Little Higher” and “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” which showcased her incredible vocal range and emotional depth. Beyond her musical achievements, Jackson used her platform to support the civil rights movement, performing at events alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Her rendition of “We Shall Overcome” became an anthem for the movement, inspiring hope and unity. Jackson’s influence transcended genres and generations, earning her widespread acclaim and numerous awards, including Grammy Awards and induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Her legacy as a trailblazer in music and activism continues to inspire and uplift audiences worldwide.

Mahalia Jackson Quotes

1. “Faith and prayer are the vitamins of the soul; man cannot live in health without them.”
— Mahalia Jackson

2. “If you dig one ditch you better dig two cause the trap you set just may be for you.”
— Mahalia Jackson

3. “If you believe in God, He will open the windows of heaven and pour blessings upon you.”
— Mahalia Jackson

4. “I sing God’s music because it makes me feel free. It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues.”
— Mahalia Jackson

5. “I close my eyes when I sing so I can feel the song better.”
— Mahalia Jackson

6. “Everybody needs somebody.”
— Mahalia Jackson

7. “Time is important to me because I want to sing long enough to leave a message. I’m used to singing in churches where nobody would dare stop me until the Lord arrives!”
— Mahalia Jackson

8. “You’re blessed if you have the strength to work.”
— Mahalia Jackson

9. “It is easy to be independent when you’ve got money. But to be independent when you haven’t got a thing, that’s the Lord’s test.”
— Mahalia Jackson

10. “When you sing gospel you have a feeling there is a cure for what’s wrong.”
— Mahalia Jackson

11. “Gospel songs are the songs of hope. When you sing gospel you have the feeling there is a cure for what’s wrong, but when you are through with the blues, you’ve got nothing to rest on.”
— Mahalia Jackson

12. “My hands, my feet, I throw my whole body to say all that is within me.”
— Mahalia Jackson

13. “Someday the sun is going to shine down on me in some faraway place.”
— Mahalia Jackson

14. “Anybody singing the blues is in a deep pit yelling for help.”
— Mahalia Jackson

15. “If you don’t like Louis Armstrong, you don’t know how to love.”
— Mahalia Jackson

16. “Money just draws flies.”
— Mahalia Jackson

17. “The mind and the voice by themselves are not sufficient.”
— Mahalia Jackson

18. “Without a song, each day would be a century.”
— Mahalia Jackson

19. “I hope to bring people to God with my songs.”
— Mahalia Jackson

20. “I don’t worry too much about the script, I just ad lib, like Pearl Bailey.”
— Mahalia Jackson

21. “Gospel music rhythms are not African in origin, although I know that’s what the jazz experts say.”
— Mahalia Jackson

22. “Baby, black promoters oppressed me before white promoters ever got hold of me. Don’t talk skin to me.”
— Mahalia Jackson

23. “This is the place to see the stars – Hollywood Bowl.”
— Mahalia Jackson

24. “The old Devil gets mad when you’re trying to do good. Pray that God will move the stumbling blocks.”
— Mahalia Jackson

25. “Gospel music in those days of the early 1930s was really taking wing. It was the kind of music colored people had left behind them down South and they liked it because it was just like a letter from home.”
— Mahalia Jackson

26. “Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.”
— Mahalia Jackson

27. “How can you sing of amazing grace and all God’s wonders without using your hands?”
— Mahalia Jackson

28. “If you want me to sing this Christmas song with the feeling and the meaning, you better see if you can locate that check.”
— Mahalia Jackson

29. “The Lord doesn’t like us to be dead. Be alive. Sometimes I dance to the glory of the Lord, because He said so.”
— Mahalia Jackson

30. “God can make you anything you want to be, but you have to put everything in his hands.”
— Mahalia Jackson

31. “Sometimes you ask God for something and you don’t know what you’re asking.”
— Mahalia Jackson

32. “I’ll come to any benefit if I see SCLC get all the money.”
— Mahalia Jackson

33. “When you are through with the blues, you’ve got nothing to rest on.”
— Mahalia Jackson

34. “They thought I was a success as soon as I started paying the bills.”
— Mahalia Jackson

35. “Put your mind on the gospel. And remember – there’s one God for all.”
— Mahalia Jackson

36. “One thing about playing the real jazz is that you can’t count it.”
— Mahalia Jackson

37. “The trouble with records is that they’re too short.”
— Mahalia Jackson