Quote Of The Day By James Hetfield: 'Don't Look Back, Because ...'

James Hetfield's importance to the history of heavy metal cannot be understated. Along with his brethren in Metallica, the frontman brought thrash to the masses with groundbreaking records like "Master of Puppets" and "Metallica" (aka "The Black Album"). With global album sales in excess of 125 million, Metallica are, quite simply, unavoidable — and Hetfield's experiences have taught some valuable lessons about making music.

Born on August 3, 1963, Hetfield was a keen musician from a young age. As a kid, he played piano before discovering his brother's drum kit and eventually picking up a guitar. In high school, he joined a band called Obsession, honing his craft by performing Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy covers in a friend's garage. Hetfield played in a few bands prior to Metallica's formation in 1981, but he hasn't looked back since then.

Metallica's journey hasn't always been smooth sailing, though. While the band has enjoyed continued commercial success for over 40 years, their output hasn't always been warmly received by fans and critics. With that in mind, our quote of the day provides some insights into Hetfield's mentality, which has inspired many of Metallica's creative decisions throughout the years.

"Don't look back, because that's the sign of failure."

Speaking to Sun Media (via Blabbermouth) to promote "Death Magnetic" in 2008, James Hetfield opened up about Metallica's fear of not progressing creatively. This mindset birthed some of the most polarizing albums of the band's career, but Hetfield and his bandmates felt a change was needed at the time.

However, Hetfield added that "Death Magnetic" — an album that saw Metallica return to their roots – taught him to embrace the band's beloved sound while still pushing forward. "Along the way we forgot some of the essential tools that make us unique. [Rick Rubin] helped us embrace our past." Our quote of the day is a testament to a band staying hungry — but not at the expense of abandoning the foundations that got them to the dance in the first place.

"Death Magnetic" was released after 2003's "St. Anger," the album that nearly broke up Metallica due to some behind-the-scenes setbacks. "St. Anger" also received polarizing reviews, with the naysayers lambasting Lars Ulrich's obsession with snare drums and the absence of guitar solos. Of course, Metallica had a history of upsetting fans, as "Load" and "Reload," released in 1996 and 1997, respectively, saw the band move away from their thrash roots in favor of a conventional hard rock sound. Obviously, some of the purists were upset, but James Hetfield's quote reveals that the band felt compelled to switch things up. 

Some of Metallica's biggest critical flops sound quite different from the band that gave us "Master of Puppets." Still, no one can fault the group for experimenting and marching to the beat of their own drum. Bands don't survive for as long as Metallica has without trying new things, so Hetfield's concerns about becoming stagnant are understandable. 

Metallica arguably needed to experiment to get back to the thrash sound that made them popular in the first place. Our quote of the day can also be interpreted as a general life lesson about wanting to grow — a sentiment that most people can relate to in some way.

* "When I'm happy, I'm writing the heaviest riff possible. Being happy is not overrated."

* "I realized quite early that music was a great communication tool ... I'd put on the headphones and just listen to music. Music would speak my voice, and it connected on so many levels. It made perfect sense that I would want to express myself that way."

* "There's not really a better feeling in this world than helping someone else and doing it without telling about it. There is something fantastic about that. It goes against everything that humans are — 'I need this. You give me that. I need to take this.'"

* "If you're trying to be a role model, you're not. Being yourself and the best self you can be? Then maybe you'll be a role model to somebody."

* "People are people, man. We're no greater than each other, we've all got the same size soul, and we're trying to feel happy, and we're trying to feel loved. It's as simple as that."