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“I’m singing these songs to inspire you, to keep you going, to lift you up and give you a reason to get up in the morning.” Thus spoke Mavis Staples, the gospel and soul singer whose voice has carried across decades of struggle and triumph. In these words lies not only the mission of an artist, but the mission of the human spirit itself: to use the gifts given to us not merely for ourselves, but to lift others, to strengthen the weary, to bring light into mornings heavy with despair. For song, in her vision, is not entertainment alone—it is sustenance, a kind of bread for the soul.

The origin of this quote rests in Staples’ long journey as a singer of truth and justice. From her early days with the Staples Singers, when their voices rang out as anthems of the civil rights movement, to her later years as a solo artist, her music has always carried purpose. She did not sing simply to be heard, but to remind others of their strength. Her words are rooted in experience: marching with Martin Luther King Jr., watching communities battered by injustice, and knowing that sometimes a song was the only flame against the night.

The ancients, too, understood the power of song to inspire and sustain. The Psalms of David were not idle poems but weapons of courage, sung by a people in exile and in war. The Greeks called upon the Muse not for amusement, but for guidance, for the song was a divine force that gave meaning to suffering. Even in Homer’s epics, it is the bard’s song that preserves memory and keeps the heroes alive in the minds of men. So too with Staples—her voice joins this eternal tradition, where song becomes not sound alone, but a spiritual force to keep people walking forward when their strength falters.

Consider the story of the civil rights movement itself. There were nights when fear pressed heavily on those who marched, when threats of violence darkened every horizon. And yet, in churches and on streets, voices rose in song: “We shall overcome.” The melody was simple, but the effect was mighty. Men and women, battered by hatred, stood straighter, marched farther, and endured longer because song carried them. Mavis Staples, in her own voice, became part of that chorus—reminding people that there is always a reason to rise in the morning, that the struggle is not in vain.

From this we learn that art, when joined to love, becomes more than art—it becomes medicine. A song can heal when words fail, it can strengthen when speeches falter, it can awaken joy where silence has bred despair. Staples reminds us that our gifts, whatever they may be, are not for ourselves alone. Whether we sing, or speak, or build, or serve, we are called to use our talents to lift others, to help them find the courage to rise again with the dawn.

Practical wisdom follows: in your own life, consider what you can give that inspires others. You may not sing with Staples’ power, but you can offer a word, a kindness, a gesture that becomes someone else’s reason to keep going. When you feel heavy, remember too that seeking out voices of encouragement—be they in song, in story, or in friendship—can restore your strength. Surround yourself with what lifts you, and offer to others the same.

Thus, remember the words of Mavis Staples: “To inspire you, to keep you going, to lift you up, to give you a reason to get up in the morning.” This is not only the work of the artist, but of every soul that walks this earth. For to live fully is not only to endure, but to help others endure; not only to rise, but to help others rise. In this way, our lives themselves become a song—one that carries through the ages, giving courage, giving hope, giving light to mornings yet to come.