Elvis Presley Quotes: 20 Sayings On Singer's 40th Death Anniversary

Wednesday marks the 40-year death anniversary of the “King of Rock and Roll” Elvis Presley. The singer was found dead Aug. 16, 1977, at his “Graceland” home in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 42.

Presley rose to fame with his iconic songs "Hound Dog," "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Blue Suede Shoes." During his career, he became the highest-paid singer in history at the age of 30. Presley got married to Priscilla Beaulieu, the daughter of a U.S. Army colonel, in 1967 but their relationship ended in October 1973.

Below are some quotes from the legendary singer, compiled from BrainyQuote and Goodreads.

1. "I'm not trying to be sexy. It's just my way of expressing myself when I move around."

2. "I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to."

3. "I learned how important it is to entertain people and give them a reason to come and watch you play."

4. "Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away."

5. "Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I can't help it."

6. "People ask me where I got my singing style. I didn't copy my style from anybody."

7. "Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity."

8. "Every time I think that I'm getting old, and gradually going to the grave, something else happens."

9. "There are too many people that depend on me. I'm too obligated. I'm in too far to get out."

10. "After a hard day of basic training, you could eat a rattlesnake."

11. "Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine."

12. "I'll never feel comfortable taking a strong drink, and I'll never feel easy smoking a cigarette. I just don't think those things are right for me."

13. "The closest I ever came to getting married was just before I started singing. In fact, my first record saved my neck."

14. "Since the beginning, it was just the same. The only difference, the crowds are bigger now."

15. "When things go wrong, don't go with them."

16. "You only pass through this life once, you don't come back for an encore."

17. "I'm still afraid to this day that one morning I'll wake up and find out that everything was a dream and that we're all still back in Tupelo with no hope of getting out from under the poverty."

18. "The image is one thing and the human being is another. It's very hard to live up to an image, put it that way."

19. "They put me on television. And the whole thing broke loose."

20. "All my life, I've always had a nice time. We never had any money or nothin', but we never were hungry, you know. That's something to be thankful for."