The King accumulated a wealth of wisdom during his life in the spotlight. Here are our favorite Elvis Presley quotes.
The King may be known by most for his “thank ya, thank ya very much” or his “hunk of burning love,” but Elvis Presley dropped some sage words throughout his life, giving folks a glance into the music industry, life, love, and his own career. As his 90th birthday approaches on January 8, celebrate by taking these Elvis Presley quotes to heart and letting them lift your spirits higher.
The King understood the price of fame better than anyone. He let the people know the struggles of living up to an impossible standard during a press conference before his record-breaking Madison Square Garden shows in 1972.
The image is one thing and the human being is another. It’s very hard to live up to an image.
Elvis was not a fan of judgement, especially from people who he believed didn’t understand him. He had several variations of this popular saying, but this one has to be our favorite.
Don’t criticize what you don’t understand, son. You never walked in that man’s shoes.
Elvis Presley had one mission from the beginning: to bring people together through a shared love of music. He made this goal known when speaking to a reporter in the 1950s, as his career was taking off.
I figure all any kid needs is hope and the feeling he or she belongs. If I could do or say anything that would give some kid that feeling, I would believe I had contributed something to the world.
While The King’s iconic hip swinging has given him worldwide popularity, the suggestive movements got him a lot of flack when he was just starting out. Elvis commented on people’s inquiry into his unique dancing in 1956.
Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sort of do them all together, I guess.
Although some of Elvis’ hits could be considered risqué, he always stuck to his Southern values of courtesy, integrity, and respect. Here’s what he had to say about the values we all represent.
Values are like fingerprints. Nobody’s are the same, but you leave them all over everything you do.
Elvis may have shot to the top of the charts seemingly overnight, but he couldn’t have gotten there without his drive and ambition. He spoke often about his ambition, but he attributed his success to the American dream in this quote.
Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine. Ain’t nowhere else in the world where you can go from driving a truck to Cadillac overnight.
Driving his anti-judgement message home yet again, Elvis Presley put another spin on the classic proverb.
To judge a man by his weakest link or deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave.
Elvis stood for many things throughout his life, one of which was animal rights. From protesting against local animal testing labs before he became a star to showcasing his love for horses throughout his life, The King sought to fight animal cruelty in whatever way he could.
Animals don’t hate, and we’re supposed to be smarter than them.
Elvis Presley had accumulated quite an impressive array of worldly possessions by his untimely death in 1977. But he never wanted to be judged or admired purely on the basis on his wealth. He set the people straight on what makes a man worthy of admiration.
It’s not how much you have that makes people look up to you, it’s who you are.
The King had a magnetism and musical ability that is nearly impossible to replicate (though many an Elvis impersonator may try). Elvis let fans in on the secret ingredient that kept him in the spotlight for so long — rhythm.
Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over.
Read our Elvis Presley January 2025 cover story.
