Ted Dwane Quotes

Powerful Ted Dwane for Daily Growth

About Ted Dwane

Theodore (Ted) Dwane, born on January 16, 1984, in Liverpool, England, is a multifaceted artist who has made significant contributions to the music industry as both a musician and a songwriter. Dwane rose to prominence as the bassist for the Grammy Award-winning rock band, Coldplay. Born into a musical family, Dwane developed an early interest in music. He learned the guitar at the age of 12 and formed his first band, 'Cobra', with schoolmates. In 2003, he joined Coldplay, replacing the original bassist. The band's fifth studio album, "Ghost Stories" (2014), which Dwane co-produced, showcased his growing influence in the band's creative direction. Dwane's influences extend beyond music, with artists such as The Beatles, Radiohead, and Jeff Buckley shaping his musical style. However, he also draws inspiration from philosophers like Alan Watts, whose work on Eastern philosophy has influenced Dwane's perspective on life and music. Apart from Coldplay, Dwane has ventured into film scoring, providing the score for the 2014 Oscar-winning short film 'The Phone Call.' He has also co-written songs for other artists, including Rita Ora's hit single 'I Will Never Let You Down.' In his personal life, Dwane married actress Johny Depp's ex-wife, Amber Heard, in 2015. The couple divorced in 2016. In 2019, he married Zara McNally, an art curator and entrepreneur, with whom he has two children. Dwane continues to shape the music industry with his unique blend of melody, emotion, and thought-provoking lyrics, making him a vital figure in contemporary rock music.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill (often attributed to Ted Dwane)

This quote emphasizes resilience and determination in the face of success or failure. The author suggests that success should not be seen as an end goal, but rather a stepping stone towards further progress. Similarly, failure is not a fatal blow, but a learning opportunity to persevere and continue on the path of growth and development. The true measure of one's character lies in their courage to persist and overcome obstacles, rather than simply basking in moments of triumph or dwelling on setbacks. In essence, this quote encourages individuals to maintain a strong spirit and never give up, as it is the ability to continue that truly defines success in life.


"The best way to predict your future is to create it." - Peter Drucker (paraphrased by Ted Dwane in a TED Talk)

This quote emphasizes the importance of personal agency and proactive decision-making in shaping one's future. In other words, rather than passively waiting for events to unfold, we should actively work towards creating the desired future by taking deliberate actions, making informed decisions, and pursuing our goals with purpose. This perspective encourages a mindset of self-reliance, resilience, and optimism in the face of uncertainty, empowering individuals to take control over their destinies and make meaningful changes in their lives.


"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." - Milton Berle (used as the title of one of Ted Dwane's speeches)

This quote encourages proactive initiative and resilience. If an opportunity isn't presented to you, it suggests creating your own chances by taking bold steps or making things happen, rather than passively waiting for opportunities to come knocking. It underscores the importance of self-reliance and determination in achieving one's goals.


"The only way to do great work is to love what you do." - Steve Jobs (a sentiment shared by Ted Dwane throughout his career)

This quote emphasizes that genuine, passionate devotion towards one's work is essential for achieving greatness. The sentiment expressed by both Steve Jobs and Ted Dwane highlights the importance of finding joy in what you do, as it fuels the motivation and creativity needed to produce exceptional results. It underscores the belief that when we love our work, we are more likely to invest our full energy, talent, and dedication into it, ultimately allowing us to reach our full potential and make significant contributions in our chosen field.


"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs (quoted by Ted Dwane in various interviews and speeches)

The quote underscores that true leaders aren't content with following existing norms or replicating what others have done; instead, they seek to innovate, pushing boundaries, creating new solutions, and establishing themselves as trailblazers in their respective fields. Innovation differentiates individuals who inspire change and progress from those who simply adapt to circumstances passively.


In December 2010, we embarked on a slightly strange tour of India. We played every kind of gig you could imagine over two weeks, from sports bars to hotel bars to a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre.

- Ted Dwane

Gig, Slightly, Weeks, Bars

We never could have foreseen the success of 'Babel.' It's not like banjo records were soaring up the charts, you know.

- Ted Dwane

Records, Like, Charts, Banjo

Without a drummer, you've got that sort of running, chicken-chasing, rhythmic thing happening with the banjo in the top end - it's what gives our music a lot of its momentum, a lot of its energy.

- Ted Dwane

Got, Sort, Rhythmic, Banjo

As humans, we're such a discontented species. We're always trying to further ourselves, and you get all the way to the moon, and then it's just discontent. You want to go to Mars.

- Ted Dwane

Always, Mars, Discontented, Discontent

As soon as we started playing sports arenas, we thought how great it would be if we could instead play to 25,000 people in our own way - a way we can control it so there's not all kinds of company branding around the show - and do it in a way that celebrates the community.

- Ted Dwane

Thought, Play, Own, Arenas

You look at the instrumentation, and you can't really argue that we set out with commercial aspirations. Banjos and things like that are not part of some formula for global success. But it felt right, and I think there's some value to purity of intention.

- Ted Dwane

Some, Commercial, I Think, Aspirations

Ninety percent of the time, I'm sitting in a bus driving through some place like the Colorado mountains and thinking, 'Wow, we're not in a pub in London anymore.'

- Ted Dwane

Bus, Through, Some, Pub

It's impossible to tell how you're perceived. I think it's important not to think about it too much, because it really means nothing. Some people think we're a rock band, and that's ridiculous, and the idea of us being a folk band - you sit in a pub in Ireland and hear those guys play, and you're like, 'Yeah, we're definitely not a folk band.'

- Ted Dwane

Play, Some, I Think, Pub

Self-awareness is something that we actually actively avoid.

- Ted Dwane

Self-Awareness, Actually, Actively

Self-awareness is one of the biggest enemies to creativity.

- Ted Dwane

Creativity, Enemies, Biggest, Self-Awareness

We started off as Marcus Mumford, which is our singer's name. But then it very quickly became apparent it wasn't really a one-man thing: it was indeed a band. We wanted to give the impression of a family business, and we just liked the ring of Mumford & Sons.

- Ted Dwane

Singer, Very, Became, Apparent

None of us had really any interest in doing a sort of 'Babel 2.'

- Ted Dwane

Doing, Interest, Had, Babel

I think it's a great story, the story of Babel. I think anyone can direct it as an analogy for a lot of different situations.

- Ted Dwane

Think, I Think, Great Story, Babel

When you write on the road, you are restricted to the instruments around you, whereas in the studio, you can plug anything in and try it.

- Ted Dwane

Anything, Studio, Around, Whereas

When we made the first album, it was meant to be a snapshot of Mumford & Sons in 2009.

- Ted Dwane

Made, Meant, Sons, Meant To Be

We were proud of our first two records, but the parameters were pretty narrow. We didn't have full drums, for example. There were just so many limitations to that setup, and we really fully explored them.

- Ted Dwane

Proud, Pretty, Records, Fully

Being a bass player in a band without a drummer for seven, eight years has been kind of weird.

- Ted Dwane

Kind, Seven, Been, Bass Player

Can't cook. Can't, I dunno, do paperwork. I don't know, what else can't we do? I'm not to be trusted with other people's animals.

- Ted Dwane

People, Cook, Other, Paperwork

We never thought we'd be commercially viable, and we were proved wrong.

- Ted Dwane

Never, Commercially, Proved, Viable

We were thrilled when we were nominated for best new artist at the Grammys, but we were even more so when they asked us to play live.

- Ted Dwane

Play, New, Grammys, Thrilled

Whether people jump up and down when they see us or are completely quiet, it just feels really good that they're connecting.

- Ted Dwane

People, Down, Feels, Up And Down

There's a point with every record we've made that the album starts to assert its identity, and I think that's kind of what happened with 'The Wolf.'

- Ted Dwane

Wolf, Think, I Think, Assert

We have big limitations by not having a drummer. It instantly informs a lot of our musical decisions when it comes to writing. What we end up coming out with is not very cerebral music.

- Ted Dwane

Big, Very, Having, Drummer

We really believe in our music, and it's still heartening to know that it's appreciated, and that's what sticks.

- Ted Dwane

Music, Appreciated, Still, Sticks

There's definitely a negative correlation between the higher the profile and the enjoyment of the gig.

- Ted Dwane

Negative, Enjoyment, Correlation

We'd never thought we'd get to travel so extensively, meet our heroes, and collaborate with so many people.

- Ted Dwane

Thought, Many, Our, Collaborate

People don't really need to question our sincerity when it comes to our songs.

- Ted Dwane

Question, Need, Songs, Sincerity

A lot of the time, if you go into an arena, they're pretty uninspiring. But we try to create an atmosphere.

- Ted Dwane

Go, Pretty, Atmosphere, Uninspiring

If you told me in the '90s that I'd be in a chart battle with Green Day, I probably would have just laughed at you.

- Ted Dwane

Green, Battle, Laughed, Chart

Because we are four creative people - four writers - there was no way that we were ever going to be satiated doing the same thing over and again. Change was inevitable for us. And a very natural thing.

- Ted Dwane

Over, Inevitable, Very, Natural Thing

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.