Renowned musician Roger Waters, best known for his iconic role in Pink Floyd, recently took the time to connect with fans and answer their questions on Instagram. During this interactive Q&A session, one fan posed a thought-provoking question: How did he find the courage to speak his truth and be so vocal about his beliefs? Waters graciously shared his deeply personal source of courage and wisdom.
The rock legend revealed that his mother played a pivotal role in shaping his approach to life, particularly in terms of speaking out and taking a stand.
Waters recounted a powerful lesson he learned from his mother during his teenage years, a lesson that continues to guide him to this day.
Roger Waters recalled his mother’s words of wisdom:
“Roger, you’re going to come across all kinds of difficult things in your life and things you will have to ponder upon and where you will have to take a position and so on and so forth. And, when you have a difficult question, this is my advice to you. You should read, read, read everything you can. Find out everything that you can about whatever it is that you might be considering or thinking about.”
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Waters emphasized that his mother’s guidance was not limited to political matters but also applied to personal and emotional dilemmas.
He credited her with instilling in him the profound power of knowledge and understanding.
“She was talking about, I think, mainly big kind of political questions, but they might be personal emotional questions as well. Everything you can read, read, read, then read some more. When you’ve done that, my mother said to me, ‘You’ve done all the heavy lifting. The hard work is over; the next bit is easy.'”
The next crucial step, as Waters explained, was to follow through on one’s beliefs and convictions.
He encapsulated this by quoting his mother once more:
“‘What’s the next bit, mum?’ ‘You do the right thing.’ Well, those words, you know, echo through the years. My mother’s been dead for about 20 years, but I’ve never forgotten those words. So, that’s where you get the courage by studying the history, learning as much as you can, and then doing the right thing.”
In this heartfelt response, Roger Waters not only shared his source of courage but also paid a touching tribute to his mother, whose invaluable wisdom continues to inspire him.