I don’t like it when people who are young act like they’re 40. That’s taking too much on. Putting up a shield and trying to act like you’re so mature or whatever – I don’t try to act mature. Some people might say I’m mature for my age, but it’s not something I’m trying to do, you know? I’m just me.

But behavior in the human being is sometimes a defense, a way of concealing motives and thoughts, as language can be a way of hiding your thoughts and preventing communication.

Personally I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.

I’ve never been a jealous person, and I’ve never felt built up by someone else’s failure – that’s a cheap thrill.

Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.

Love is too young to know what conscience is.

Do something everyday for no other reason than you would rather not do it, so that when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test.

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

I’m not concerned with people seeing me in a certain way. Some people see me as a kid, some people see me as an adult. But I’m seriously not going to complain how anybody sees me, as long as they see me.

The good part about youngsters is that they are so fearless. You want to be like them.

Prime time for men is, say, 35 to 45. Then they level off and fall off.

Genius, when young, is divine.

A man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk.

I’m not looking to freak people out – eating rodents or bugs. I don’t do that anymore.

Few women, I fear, have had such reason as I have to think the long sad years of youth were worth living for the sake of middle age.

I brought myself down. I impeached myself by resigning.

Everyone has noticed how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us… While what we call ‚our own life‘ remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What, then, can God do in our interests but make ‚our own life‘ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible sources of false happiness?

I’ve definitely seen bands before they made money kind of change their thing on the next tour, and I prefer it when it’s a little more raw.

What good is it being Marilyn Monroe? Why can’t I just be an ordinary woman?

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.

I think all women go through periods where we hate this about ourselves, we don’t like that. It’s great to get to a place where you dismiss anything you’re worried about. I find flaws attractive. I find scars attractive.

I’m of the school of thought where if you can’t sort something out for yourself then no one can help you.

The ego is only an illusion, but a very influential one. Letting the ego-illusion become your identity can prevent you from knowing your true self. Ego, the false idea of believing that you are what you have or what you do, is a backwards way of assessing and living life.

Hair is about when you’re younger. I am my hair.

It’s always appealing to play a character that has to overcome himself as well as an obstacle. It makes the drama so much deeper.

I thank God I’m myself and for the life I’m given to live and for friends and lovers and beloveds, and I thank God for knowing that all those people have already paid for me.

I never saw myself as a folk singer.

I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict.

I want people to draw strength from me.

Extremely religious, legalistic people have a criticism or judgment about everyone and everything. They just have a way of bringing people down with what they say.

For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is.

I’ve never been pregnant, so I just feel God didn’t mean for me to have kids so that everybody else’s children could be mine.

I find rebellion packaged by a major corporation a little hard to take seriously.

I write my own songs. I made my own videos. I pick my producers. Nothing goes out without my permission. It’s all authentic.

Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.

Words are powerful; if you change your words, you can change your life.

T stands for being nice. T stands for manners. T stands for being polite.

I use a stream-of-consciousness approach; if you don’t censor yourself, you end up with what you’re most concerned about, but you haven’t filtered it through your conscious mind. Then you craft it.

My thing is this; if I’m sick enough to think it, then I’m sick enough to say it.

It is really very important while you are young to live in an environment in which there is no fear. Most of us, as we grow older, become frightened; we are afraid of living, afraid of losing a job, afraid of tradition, afraid of what the neighbours, or what the wife or husband would say, afraid of death.

I meant what I said and I said what I meant.

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.

We grow older, but we do not change. We become more sophisticated, but at bottom we continue to resemble our young selves, eager to listen to the next story and the next, and the next.

Life is not living in the suburbs with a white picket fence. That’s not life. Somehow our American culture has made it out that that’s what life needs to be – and that if it’s not that, it’s all screwed up. It’s not.

You’ll never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him.

I don’t have the best track record with quotes.

The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amidst the wars of elements, The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.

Our modern society – especially in the West, and especially now – reveres youth.

Life’s too short to deal with other people’s insecurities.

A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.

I’m over being a pop star. I don’t wanna be a hot girl. I wanna be iconic. And I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot. I feel like I’m highly respected, which is more important than any award or any amount of records. And I feel like there comes a point when being a pop star is not enough.

In the struggle between yourself and the world second the world.

I had a really good childhood up until I was nine, then a classic case of divorce really affected me.

The people of Northern Ireland have sorted out my whole life.

Rashness belongs to youth; prudence to old age.

Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.

Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty acts; in a uniform manner.

The experience of life consists of the experience which the spirit has of itself in matter and as matter, in mind and as mind, in emotion, as emotion, etc.

I’m one of the world’s most self-conscious people. I really have to struggle.

If you have the chance to be exposed to a loving, understanding environment where the seed of compassion, loving kindness, can be watered every day, then you become a more loving person.

Be content to seem what you really are.