I hate talking about music, to tell you the truth.

In a certain way, it’s the sound of the words, the inflection and the way the song is sung and the way it fits the melody and the way the syllables are on the tongue that has as much of the meaning as the actual, literal words.

There’s poetry in being the band that can sell out Wembley but also makes a record in a garage. I don’t like doing what people expect me to do.

A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.

I have never used Auto-Tune in a live television performance, and I have never used Auto-Tune in any of my concerts. That is a promise.

I do not pilfer victory.

It’s almost schizophrenic who I portray in my music.

We tend to mistake music for the physical object.

People are generally amazed that I would take an interest in any forum that would require me to stop talking for three hours.

I liberate minds with my music. That’s more important than liberating a few people from apartheid or whatever.

I like to combine the dramatic emotional warmth of strings with the grooves and body business of drums and bass.

One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing wrong with this, except that it ain’t so.

I grew up in a musical family; the majority of my growing up was done in Hawaii. It’s what we do. You sing, you dance, you play ukulele and you drink.

I don’t use blue. I don’t like it. It bugs me out. I hate it.

You must be afraid, my son. That is how one becomes an honest citizen.

If you pour your life into songs, you want them to be heard. It’s a desire to communicate. A deep desire to communicate inspires songwriting.

I don’t want to do free jazz! Because free jazz – which is the musical equivalent of free marketeering – isn’t actually free at all. It’s just constrained by what your muscles can do.

I’ve got nothing to hide.

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.

There are only two ways of telling the complete truth – anonymously and posthumously.

Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.

Music, for me, is vital. Punjabi, Bollywood, Sufi, RnB… I listen to it all. When I’m not listening to music, you will find me chatting with friends. Off the field, I just let my instincts take over. I certainly don’t think about batting, or which bowlers I’m going to face.

I don’t like L.A. It’s just not fun. I don’t know why, but I just don’t get it. You have to drive to get everywhere, and when it rains everybody freaks out.

Once you’ve changed who you are or who you’ve portrayed in your music, the fans, they’ll catch it… Once I feel like the world knows me for anything else but my music, then I feel like I failed.

Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

I think when people make a record with a goal in mind – like taking it to the next level or making them seem more mature – that gets in the way of writing great songs.

I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window.

I always use Michael as, first and foremost, a vocal inspiration, and ‚Off the Wall‘ was definitely the one that made me feel like I could sing.

I do seem to like to combine the dramatic emotional warmth of strings with the grooves and body business of drums and bass.

Not only do I think being nice and kind is easy but being kind, in my opinion, is important.

It’s very important for Christians to be honest with God, which often, you know, God is much more interested in who you are than who you want to be.

I listen to music all day every day. I can’t not listen to music. It’s kind of scary how much I listen to music, but it’s what I love, and it’s all I care about, so I’m good with it.

Like it or not, there are a lot of dance teachers in this country who respect me, whether they personally like me or not.

I was always singing but didn’t plan on pursuing it seriously. When I got to New York City when I was 18, I started playing in clubs in Brooklyn – I have good friends and devoted fans on the underground scene, but we were playing for each other at that point – and that was it.

Cause when you’re sequencing a record, you want the listener to stick with it from beginning to end, and in order to do that, you really have to map out the journey from the first song to the last.

I don’t like headphones very much, and I rarely listen to music on headphones.

There was a stool there, and some fella kept asking me if I wanted to sit down. When I saw the stool sitting there, it gave me the idea. I’ll just put the stool out there and I’ll talk to Mr. Obama and ask him why he didn’t keep all of the promises he made to everybody.

Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God.

Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

Mozart’s music is so pure and beautiful that I see it as a reflection of the inner beauty of the universe.

I’ve made over 25 studio albums, and I think probably I’ve made two real stinkers in my time, and some not-bad albums, and some really good albums. I’m proud of what I’ve done. In fact it’s been a good ride.

I love story songs because I’ve always loved books.

True friends stab you in the front.

I would drive to gigs in my tiny little Fiat. I would shoot up and down the M1 to play at various places.

I don’t think of Kurt as ‚Kurt Cobain from Nirvana‘. I think of him as ‚Kurt‘. It’s something that comes back all the time. Almost every day.

I can write a song in about an hour if it’s a simple country song.

Music is either sacred or secular. The sacred agrees with its dignity, and here has its greatest effect on life, an effect that remains the same through all ages and epochs. Secular music should be cheerful throughout.

I do value the respect I get from my contemporaries, but to have Oasis cover my song, to have Puff Daddy cover a song, to have Goldie come along to my gigs – that’s where my ego is at. To have my fellow musicians like what I do, that’s very cool.

Half a truth is often a great lie.

Lettin‘ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier ‚n puttin‘ it back in.

Taylor Swift’s audience can listen to me, but so can the street kids. I want to touch it all.

There is one way to have a short but exciting conversation with me, and that is to move too slow.

No legacy is so rich as honesty.

And whether you’re an honest man, or whether you’re a thief, depends on whose solicitor has given me my brief.

In politics stupidity is not a handicap.

I am not a crook.

I stand by all the misstatements that I’ve made.

Doing music to pay bills is an uncomfortable situation. I never wanted to be in that situation.

I’ve been in the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus since I was 8.

I always wanted a great love affair: something that feels big and full, really honest, and enough. No moment should feel slight, false, or a little off. For me, it had to be everything.