Henry Rollins Quotes

To me, the real 'state of the union' is found in how Americans react to current events.

I'm disappointed by bands left and right, every day.

Where there is young people and vitality, you're going to find punk rock.

I always found the Chicago audience to be a smart, fast-moving, violent and cheerful lot, and it's always good to be back.

No matter how rough things can be at times, many Americans are optimistic and on the move.

When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you have to ask, you're never going to know.'

All my big heroes are literary, writers.

Dinosaur Jr. in their live capacity are a band that put me in a state of such overwhelming rock that it often takes quite a while to come down.

Giving a good performance, giving it all is what it's all about. I love to perform.

I am afforded a bit of easy wonderment in relative comfort as to how humans have lasted so long. Climate- and geography-wise, the planet seems to have little use for us.

I want to change things for the better, just like everybody else.

I wonder how Colin Powell sleeps at night. I would like to have a word with him because he lied. He lied. He lied to me. He lied to my face through the camera at the U.N.

I'm not artistic nor am I all that creative.

Motivation has always been a fascinating factor when considering a touring artist, especially when the years stack up. What keeps one out there year after year?

Sometimes when you meet a musician you are a fan of, and he or she isn't the friendliest person, you walk away from the experience wondering if you will ever be able to listen to their music again.

To burn a CDR of music you like to give as a gift to someone you wish to become closer to is a cold, moist-palmed, mouth-breathing bummer.

Never once have I thought that Social Security would be something that would ever be available to me.

Rock is ironic in that, up to a certain point, you can get better and better at it if you don't mind possibly looking more and more ridiculous.

We city dwellers, we residents of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, are for the most part urbanized to some extent. We know deadlines, start times and traffic.

Lou Reed's music has been in the lives of millions of people all over the world for decades. He had a truly universal presence and was respected by musicians across all genres.

And I love the hate mail I get, the unsigned, misspelled letters I get telling me to go back to Russia or wherever.

Nothing moves me more than the history of the United States.

The more I learn about Mr. Romney, the less there is to admire.

In my bright, utopian future world, they will hand out college educations like cups of water at the end of the L.A. Marathon.

Even though I am not hungry when I get up, I try to eat to get me ready for the day. Within an hour of getting up.

Kids need parents who love and support them unconditionally, full stop.

No child asks to get born, so when they are here, they should be shielded from any possible horror.

I am very ambitious in a way, in that I'm not trying to be the richest guy or whatever. I just really like my work.

While I disagree with our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, I have nothing but respect and admiration for the men and women deployed in these places.

All of the jobs have gone away to satisfy the stockholders, so that's where the economy has gone. These major multinational corporations do not see their futures in America.

If I could go to Kabul and not die, I would go back to Afghanistan as soon as I could. And, that was the most interesting place that I've been to.

There are religions and social and moral awareness in any society that gets passed immediately. Those human truths. All cultures address them.

I'm not a thrill seeker. I'm not looking to get kidnapped. I'm not looking to get a shot at. I've been shot at. I didn't like it.

The bible saw that can get a lot of people killed, so let's try and steer people away from that. I am not an expert on the bible. I am just saying.

I continually remind myself to live by a code. It's very important to me. I've got a bad temper.

I am basically working 7 days a week. When I am not eating, sleeping, or working out, I am working on one of projects which I am just damned determined to finish.

If the truth is told how I want to be remembered... as someone who cared. Someone who worked really hard and someone who didn't sit around.

I don't really think about the audience much. I think of myself. Let me dig myself out of that one.

There's no retirement, there's just a few years of non-work by the fire with someone bringing you some tea and relative peace and playing with the grandchildren.

When you start thinking as far as what's a good photo, unfortunately everything starts looking like a good photo.

America is a rough room and you don't know what might come your way, so you have to be prepared for almost anything.

If you watch a stretch of TV for a few hours, there is a good chance you'll hear me on some commercial or in some documentary or on a cartoon as some voice of a character.

I'm just shallow and self-interested, and don't get out much because I'm afraid of real commitments.

All I can do is just do stuff while I am alive and hopefully that track record will speak for itself.

I would never be innovative enough to "blaze my own trail," I'm just trying to be interesting. So I don't look to anyone else as far as inspiration.

I think as resources become more dear, we really need to consider population.

That's where the economy is going. It went somewhere. Just not to America. And the money made? That went to the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Not back here. Never to be taxed.

I've never killed anybody... but I've definitely thought about it.

While I have not ruled out the possibility of doing music, what I don't want to do is go onstage and perform old songs. I do, all the time, but I don't think it is artistically brave.

The most interesting place by far was Afghanistan. Just because it is a place that I cannot see myself living. The hardness of the people and the history of the country is just so completely intense.