Every one of my regrets has produced a song I’m proud of.

At Sarah Lawrence, I realized that everybody was already what they were going to be. The painters were painting, the writers writing, the dancers dancing. And nobody wore any makeup. The art was uppermost.

We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

If we live a self-directed, self-motivated, self-centered life, always needing to get our own way, then we’re going to be miserable. In fact, many times we believe it’s our problems that are making us unhappy when, in reality, it’s because we’re focused on ourselves!

I don’t think I will ever be content. I am somebody who is always hungry.

You gotta make sure the listener is listening to you, so if you put it into a song, often times, if the song is striking enough, then you can really deliver the story most effectively while keeping the ear of the listener the whole time.

I think that the idea of having a different approach to every single one of my albums is so exciting to me. I never want to make the same record twice. Why do it? What’s the point?

Our ambition should be to rule ourselves, the true kingdom for each one of us; and true progress is to know more, and be more, and to do more.

No grand idea was ever born in a conference, but a lot of foolish ideas have died there.

You know how advice is. You only want it if it agrees with what you wanted to do anyway.

An idea that is not dangerous is not worthy of being called an idea at all.

Love is a better teacher than duty.

We become what we repeatedly do.

The arts have only ever interested a small minority of people, which acted as a kind of nursery to support artists.

You make ‚em, I amuse ‚em.

I’m just writing, writing, writing. I keep these tablets on me until I’m inspired to go back in and make the music. I never take a break from my pen, because I pride myself on that.

If I had only one sermon to preach it would be a sermon against pride.

Music comes to me more readily than words.

When I start to write, I don’t have any plan at all. I just wait for the story to come.

The young think that failure is the Siberian end of the line, banishment from all the living, and tend to do what I then did – which was to hide.

The only frustrating thing about jail is that I can’t make music.

Some people carry their heart in their head and some carry their head in their heart. The trick is to keep them apart yet working together.

Teach me to feel another’s woe, to hide the fault I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me.

Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom.

The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown.

No one has a greater asset for his business than a man’s pride in his work.

The problem with me, as far as getting married and having a family, is that my comedy is so important to me. So I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good a dad as my dad.

Face your fears and doubts, and new worlds will open to you.

Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.

I criticize by creation – not by finding fault.

If I love you, what business is it of yours?

When I was old enough to change my name, I changed it to Mr. T so that the first word out of someone’s mouth was ‚Mister,‘ a sign of respect.

Few people have the imagination for reality.

The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.

It’s lack that gives us inspiration. It’s not fullness.

A woman has the age she deserves.

‚Victory Lap,‘ even the title. It’s the accumulation of trial and error; that’s what I represent; trial and error.

In all my work, in the movies I write, the lyrics, the poetry, the prose, the essays, I am saying that we may encounter many defeats – maybe it’s imperative that we encounter the defeats – but we are much stronger than we appear to be and maybe much better than we allow ourselves to be. Human beings are more alike than unalike.

Better to die ten thousand deaths than wound my honor.

We fear to know the fearsome and unsavory aspects of ourselves, but we fear even more to know the godlike in ourselves.

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

Sometimes we look at gay being a bigger sin than being proud or not telling the truth. I don’t think God categorizes sins.

I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it.

Artistic temperament is the disease that afflicts amateurs.

Why go through life if you’re not going to challenge yourself?

I love making music. That’s what I love to do. So I don’t feel like there’s any need to take a break unless I want to.

When I stop working the rest of the day is posthumous. I’m only really alive when I’m writing.

Man is an idea, and a precious small idea once he turns his back on love.

For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise.

Naturally, everybody has certain things they wish they hadn’t done in life. They wish they hadn’t kicked their dog when they were ten or something.

It’s not an easy course. It’s not designed to be. We’re not here to get you in touch with your inner child.

When you are angry or frustrated, what comes out? Whatever it is, it’s a good indication of what you’re made of.

Beware of the man who does not return your blow: he neither forgives you nor allows you to forgive yourself.

First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.

The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better work.

I’ve written all my songs on every single one of my records, and that’s what’s been fun about looking back.

The most challenging project I’ve ever done, I think, is every single thing I’ve ever tried to do. It’s never easy.

There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or augment our means – either may do – the result is the same and it is for each man to decide for himself and to do that which happens to be easier.

Art is to be free. Design is to fix.

We like to think about how smart we are. But I think talent as a writer is hard-wired in, it’s all there, at least the basic elements of it. You can’t change it any more than you can choose whether to be right handed or left handed.