Peter Tosh and his talent were stolen from the world when he was murdered just one month short of his 43rd birthday. Born Neville O’Reilly Livingston in Jamaica, he was a member of the Wailing Wailers reggae band with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.
Throughout his career as part of the trio and as a solo musician, Tosh was active in political issues and social change. He was well known for a variety of quotes that contained profound depth, insight, and common sense that were incorporated into his music. Some of the most memorable are:
- “Legalize it and I will advertise it.”
- “Everyone’s trying to reach the top. Tell me how far it is from the bottom.”
- “My songs is hard stuff which politicians don’t want on them radio station because they still want people to live in ignorancy.”
- “Reggae must be lived, not played. It is a lifebeat everytime, mon.”
- “What the Rastaman represents is positivity.”
- “You never miss the water until the well runs dry.”
- “To have the truth in your possession you can be found guilty, sentenced to death.”
- “I am not a politician…I only suffer the consequences.”
- “I don’t need no peace. I need equal rights and justice.”
- “My philosophy is: if you don’t bear a cross, you can’t wear a crown.”
- “If the music does not penetrate the heart, the soul, the mind, and the body… Then you ain’t gon’ feel it.”
- “It takes a lot of physical and spiritual energy to balance on one wheel.”
- “It is only the truth that can make a man free, it is only the truth that can make a man live.”
- “I am good. I live good. I think good. I don’t have to feel good, I take my goodness wherever I go.”
- “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.”
- “Peace is a certificate you get in the grave.”
The musician lost his life on Sept. 11, 1987 when three men broke into his home demanding money. Tosh’s voice was silenced, but his hard-earned wisdom is a legacy that continues to live on.
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