Man becomes his most creative during war.

A loving heart is the truest wisdom.

I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.

I think you can give a pure artistic product if you understand how to build your own industry.

I enjoy being involved in making the artwork for albums and stupid stuff like that.

The U.S. couldn’t even get rid of Saddam Hussein. And we all know that the EU is just a passing fad. They’ll be killing each other again in less than a year. I’m sick to death of all these fascist lawsuits.

Since I was old enough to understand what a songwriter/producer is, I’ve had a curiosity about how Max Martin creates what he creates. I wanted to see that happen. I wanted to be there. I wanted to learn from him.

I shall proceed from the simple to the complex. But in war more than in any other subject we must begin by looking at the nature of the whole; for here more than elsewhere the part and the whole must always be thought of together.

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 decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.

My imagination is a twisted place.

When ideas fail, words come in very handy.

I don’t oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.

All men are equal before fish.

A home without books is a body without soul.

All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

I never dreamt, in my dream, I’m Dalai Lama.

When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band – or at least in a Pixies cover band.

Morality is contraband in war.

The sinews of war are infinite money.

I have been very interested and intrigued and congratulatory toward President Bush and his paintings.

I remember flying in, driving down 101 in a cab, and passing by all these tech companies like Yahoo! I remember thinking, ‚Maybe someday we’ll build a company. This probably isn’t it, but one day we will.‘

The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.

A great city, whose image dwells in the memory of man, is the type of some great idea. Rome represents conquest; Faith hovers over the towers of Jerusalem; and Athens embodies the pre-eminent quality of the antique world, Art.

As much as I love the Western genre, I figured if I kept doing those, I’d eventually run out of steam on that, and that would’ve been the end of it.

There can be no doubt that the average man blames much more than he praises. His instinct is to blame. If he is satisfied he says nothing; if he is not, he most illogically kicks up a row.

Homer has taught all other poets the art of telling lies skillfully.

To me, the most important artists in my career are Arcangel and Balvin. Arcangel gave me the push, the respect in the streets.

I guess I’m just inspired to tell stories.

Man is a universe within himself.

There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.

Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest.

A true artist is expected to be all that is noble-minded, and this is not altogether a mistake; on the other hand, however, in what a mean way are critics allowed to pounce upon us.

I feel that when you care about your music, taking risks is something you should do to keep things exciting.

When I’m writing a record, I kind of don’t listen to much music. Just because I want to be inspired solely on the emotion; just based on how it feels.

Before I do anything, I think, well what hasn’t been seen. Sometimes, that turns out to be something ghastly and not fit for society. And sometimes that inspiration becomes something that’s really worthwhile.

Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant.

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.

Although modesty is natural to man, it is not natural to children. Modesty only begins with the knowledge of evil.

Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds.

It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it.

My purpose is to make exciting music, and I feel like I’ll be doing that for the rest of my life, so there’s no pressure.

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.

It was very lucky for me as a writer that I studied the physical sciences rather than English. I wrote for my own amusement. There was no kindly English professor to tell me for my own good how awful my writing really was. And there was no professor with the power to order me what to read, either.

Energy begets energy.

Everyone here has the sense that right now is one of those moments when we are influencing the future.

To hold a pen is to be at war.

God wants to use you to make other people happy! And the happier you make others, the happier you will be because you reap what you sow.

For me, I used to be shy towards journalism because it wasn’t poetry. And then I realized that the events that I covered in essays that became journalism were actually great because they inspired me, and they became my muse.

People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy… and I keep it in a jar on my desk.

Good ideas are free – or at least they should be.

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.

My production and songwriting and the environment around those vocals are not inspired by R&B at all.

A man is a god in ruins. When men are innocent, life shall be longer, and shall pass into the immortal, as gently as we awake from dreams.

I learn poetry, learn text, and that really keeps you alive.

In art the best is good enough.

Art raises its head where creeds relax.

I try to really capitalize off of what other rappers really can’t do. There are opportunities that rappers I love simply can’t get, because… you know… I don’t have the tattoos; I have a different image.

It is a true rule that love is ever rewarded, either with the reciproque or with an inward and secret contempt.

Howard Zinn was magical as a teacher. Witty, irreverent, and wise, he loved what he was teaching and clearly wanted his students to love it, also.

All art is dependent on technology because it’s a human endeavour, so even when you’re using charcoal on a wall or designed the proscenium arch, that’s technology.