Either as a member of The Beatles or as a solo act, John Lennon is, hands down, one of those rare musicians whose legacy is meant to be celebrated for a long time. His voice, his talent in songwriting, his appeal in every performance — even his controversial remarks — all worked together to help his name be made iconic to many generations of aspiring artists and music enthusiasts alike.

As we commemorate his 76th birth anniversary today, let us reminisce how he left not only an impeccable list of time-transcending hits, but also a compilation of statements that remind us how beautiful art, love and life can be:

• We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.

• Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.

• If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal.

• My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel.

• Trying to please everybody is impossible – if you did that, you’d end up in the middle with nobody liking you. You’ve just got to make the decision about what you think is your best, and do it.

• Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.

• When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps.

• If everyone could just be happy with themselves and the choices people around them make, the world would instantly be a better place!

• Creativity is a gift. It doesn’t come through if the air is cluttered.

• A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is a reality.

• Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only publishers who think that people own it.

• What we’ve got to do is keep hope alive. Because without it, we’ll sink.

(Image via Flickr/Day Donaldson [CC BY 2.0])