I think my biggest musical hero growing up was probably Ian MacKaye. He set a great example for all of us local musicians. Still, to this day, I see him as the best example of a right-on musician.

Man’s only true happiness is to live in hope of something to be won by him. Reverence something to be worshipped by him, and love something to be cherished by him, forever.

Music is not math. It’s science. You keep mixing the stuff up until it blows up on you, or it becomes this incredible potion.

Art is the proper task of life.

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

The chief glory of every people arises from its authors.

If there’s not drama and negativity in my life, all my songs will be really wack and boring or something.

Art is not a thing; it is a way.

Every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.

If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.

Always the beautiful answer who asks a more beautiful question.

Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.

There’s no formula.

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.

Music has the power to inspire the world.

And you find as a writer there are certain spots on the planet where you write better than others, and I believe in that. And New Orleans is one of them.

I never had to choose a subject – my subject rather chose me.

I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.

All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.

Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.

My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip hop.

In cricket, my superhero is Sachin Tendulkar. He has always been my hero and will continue to remain so. Apart from him and outside cricket, my mother has remained my inspiration. Whatever difficult time I had faced, she was always there for me. She has given me all the strength. She maintained her composure and supported me in tough times.

I’ve got my Grammys on top of my piano and I look at them when I play.

A word after a word after a word is power.

In order to fly, all one must do is simply miss the ground.

All great truths begin as blasphemies.

Where the mind goes, the man follows.

When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world, you could say.

One word from the Lord is like a piece of gold to a believer, who is like a jeweler, shaping and hammering out the promise for a number of weeks.

One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.

I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.

Punk is musical freedom. It’s saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster’s terms, ‚nirvana‘ means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that’s pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock.

What is past is prologue.

And poets, in my view, and I think the view of most people, do speak God’s language – it’s better, it’s finer, it’s language on a higher plane than ordinary people speak in their daily lives.

Hope is a waking dream.

Every day is a gift from God. There’s no guarantee of tomorrow, so that tells me to see the good in this day to make the most of it.

The poets are only the interpreters of the gods.

People respond when you tell them there is a great future in front of you, you can leave your past behind.

Every day that is born into the world comes like a burst of music and rings the whole day through, and you make of it a dance, a dirge, or a life march, as you will.

The man who has no imagination has no wings.

Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes,‘ he said, his voice rising as applause and cheers mounted. ‚Shake it off. Stop complainin‘. Stop grumblin‘. Stop cryin‘. We are going to press on. We have work to do.

‚Two Voices,‘ from my album with Peter Schwalm, is an intact dream-poem. I awoke one night with an image of a piece of paper and all the words of the poem written on it, so I just blundered down to the kitchen table and ‚copied it out.‘

Being a hero is about the shortest-lived profession on earth.

My whole life and my whole career, even through my music, I tell people: let’s unify; let’s show more love.

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Yes, and I can sit down on a white piece of paper and work because I don’t believe too much into inspiration, only I’m waiting for inspiration, work and then inspiration may come. It’s a little too easy to say that.

I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.

My stories run up and bite me on the leg – I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.

Yesterday is but today’s memory, and tomorrow is today’s dream.

We’re all dreamers.

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

Ambition can creep as well as soar.

Genius is a potential that lives within you and every other human being. You have many moments of genius in your lifetime. These are the times when you have a uniquely brilliant idea and implement it even if only you are aware of how fantastic it is.

Always have something beautiful in sight, even if it’s just a daisy in a jelly glass.

Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.

Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world.

Like anything else that happens on its own, the act of writing is beyond currency. Money is great stuff to have, but when it comes to the act of creation, the best thing is not to think of money too much. It constipates the whole process.

Faith activates God – Fear activates the Enemy.

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.