I can’t talk about piracy and I don’t want to. It’s a moral thing within you, I can’t teach morals to you. It’s a conscience thing — if you want to support a musician, buy the music.

A.R. Rahman (CNN IBN, Jan 7, 2009)

No regrets. There is no time for that. Regret is boring.

A.R. Rahman on Lajjo’s shelving ( OneIndia, Dec 4, 2008)

Art has no parameters.

DnaIndia, Dec. 5, 2007

In these hard times, music is really an uplifting shrine where all communities can come together. There’s so much turmoil happening in life whether it’s religious, political or racial. Music is all about love. It’s a unifying force.

A.R. Rahman (June 7, 2007, The Star)

What cannot be put into words can be expressed through music.

ITIMES, Dec. 30, 2006

As a composer, I have often felt that life’s experiences — both good and bad — have greatly added to my compositions.

ITIMES, Dec. 30, 2006

When I was composing for my first film, Roja, I often went into a spiritual vacuum where nothing else mattered except the music. That is why I credit whatever success has come my way to the Almighty.

ITIMES, Dec. 30, 2006

Music is language itself. It should not have any barriers of caste, creed, language or anything. Music is one, only cultures are different. Music is the language of languages. It is the ultimate mother of languages.

Citation pending.

Trusting in God never makes the mountain smaller, it just makes the climbing easier. I never ask Him for a lighter load, but only for a stronger back.

Citation pending.

To make music, you must have a stable mind, and to have a stable mind, you need practice, you need a way of life.

Interview by Matthew Islam, March 2005

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

The Hindu. Dec. 25, 2004

I have realised that music can change our society.

The Hindu, Dec. 25, 2004

‘Swades’ is right from my heart. It is simple and sweet music.

The Hindu, Dec. 25, 2004

The search is more important than the destination.

Bollyvista.com Interview by Jyothi Venkatesh, 2004

Singing requires a totally different energy. I’m more interested in composing than singing. I used to have a complex about my voice, until I heard the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I felt that if he could create wonders with his voice, I could also try.

Bollyvista.com Interview by Jyothi Venkatesh, 2004