This is the most challenging activity that humans get into, which is love. You know, where we have the sense that we can’t live without love. That life has very little meaning without love.
There is a war between the ones who say there is a war and the ones who say there isn’t.
There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
There are writers who are great visionaries, who can depict huge movements – things like that. They’re the great writers. I’m just the other kind.
There are some people who come to me for some illumination on their problems. I guess they feel I’m writing about some of the things they themselves are going through. But I don’t usually have much help to give – there isn’t much you can say to someone in the midst of their own crises.
The term clinical depression finds its way into too many conversations these days. One has a sense that a catastrophe has occurred in the psychic landscape.
The place of music in the world today is overwhelming. It is the emotional life of most people.
The older I get, the surer I am that I’m not running the show.
The fact that my songs take a long time to write is no guarantee of their excellence.
The basic function of popular music is to create an environment for courting, lovemaking, and doing the dishes. It’s useful because it addresses the heart in the midst of all these activities, and it will always be useful in this very important way.
Songs seem to take me a long time. I don’t know why; they’re not especially excellent for taking so long.
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.