By 1975, Marley had gone clear as a revolutionary standard bearer, the inheritor of the 60s activist energy and hippie ganja enlightenment. Almost assassinated in 1976 in Kingston, Marley was given the UN Peace Medal on behalf of 500 million Africans in 1978 for his humanitarian achievements. He headlined a Peace Concert that same year in Jamaica, uniting the warring factions in the Kingston slums. But his greatest honour came when he was invited to headline the Zimbabwe Independence Celebrations in 1980. Reportedly, he outdrew The Pope in Milan, fathered eleven children by seven women, sold tens of millions of records worldwide, left a US$30 million estate, wrote "the new Psalms," and died of melanoma at age 36.
"The more people smoke herb, the more Babylon fall."
"My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever."
"I believe in freedom for everyone, not just the black man."
"The only truth is Rastafari."-August, 1980
"My future is righteousness."-February, 1976
"Rastafari not a culture, it's a reality."-February, 1976
"I handle fame by not being famous...I'm not famous to me."-December, 1974
"I'm a man of God and me come to do God's work."-June, 1975
"My music fights against the system that teaches to live and die."-June ,1976
"I go to jail one time for no driver license."-February, 1976
"You have to be someone."-July, 1979
"Overcome the devils with a thing named love."-June 1975
"Well, me don't swim too tough so me don't go in the water too deep."-July, 1975
"A little wine sometimes, that's all. Spirits (are) bad. Alcohol wrong. Herb does grow."-June, 1976
"I have a BMW. But only because BMW stands for Bob Marley and The Wailers, and not because I need an expensive car."-1977
"(I drive) a jeep. An old jeep,
so nobody will say I'm driving a BMW anymore. I couldn't stand that
BMW, ha ha ha! BMW make pure trouble!"-Septmeber, 1980