John Lydon Quotes

Freedom isn't to do what you want at somebody else's expense.

I'm very open about my politics. I don't believe in any political party at all, none of them.

I'm no one's lap dog, you can't put me on a leash.

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

Punk became a circus didn't it? Everybody got it wrong. The message was supposed to be: Don't follow us, do what you want!

Just because people think politically different to you doesn't mean they're inhuman.

Sometimes the most positive thing you can be in a boring society is absolutely negative.

Obama's dense as a doorbell; not much going on up there - it's a wooden top.

You'd have to be daft as a brush to say you didn't like Pink Floyd.

I'm not this callous clown walking around laughing at life all the time. I've had some serious, serious problems in my life. But I've come out with a smile.

I have one major problem with the Internet: It's full of liars.

I cannot comprehend fundamentalism. It's fundamentally wrong.

I'm not here for your amusement. You're here for mine.

I like crazy people, especially those who don't see the risk.

I'm just permanently agitated by everything and everyone.

Remaining childish is a tremendous state of innocence.

Meat isn't murder, it's delicious.

Judge not others unless you're prepared to be judged!

If you are pissing people off, you know you are doing something right

You'll find that empty vessels make the most sound.

I think national pride leads to nothing but wars and hate.

I like lime-flavoured yoghurt. The end. There is no religion. It’s a man-made fabrication. Once you understand that, you’ll be a happier individual. Atheism is as pointless as satanism.

Analog, electronic, whatever it happens to be, I simply love and adore literally every aspect of making music.

Let's escape the past. The past didn't work. All we have is the future, and I'm the one who wrote "no future for you!" Don't let the irony be lost.

U2 - that's a band that never should have existed. There's no life experience in any of their songs.

Love is 2 minutes and 52 seconds of squelching noises.

I showed what I can do with butter, right? Eighty-five percent increase in sales. I'm very proud of them Country Life ads. They were funny and clever and classy like the Toblerone ads I grew up with.

My way of thinking as I approach any human being on this planet is, 'What are you doing now?' That's what interests me. I don't come at anybody with a whole bunch of assumptions.

Any kind of history you read is basically the winning side telling you the others were bad.

Being born into the Royal Family is like being born into a mental asylum. Marrying into it is not something to be taken lightly.

Here's how I understand music. If you can play the same bunch of noise twice, it's music. To go beyond that is supercilious and pontificating.

I don't tolerate liars. When somebody lies to me, that's really, like, just unbearable.

I hate death; it takes people away from you. You're left feeling rudderless.

I love discordancy. It makes people ill at ease and wakes up a part of their brain that's normally asleep.

Over the years, during television interviews, whenever the host or the reviewer or whoever gets cynical and nasty with me, I will behave accordingly. I will defend myself.

Until I see an Arab country, a Muslim country, with a democracy, I won't understand how anyone can have a problem with how they're treated.

You never know how things will work out. After all the bad reasons in the world, some good came out.

Music can describe emotions far more accurately than words ever can. As soon as I realised that, I knew music was where I wanted to be.

If dolphins are so intelligent, how come they ain't got Walkmans?

You're made to feel ugly, and I made ugly beautiful. Just by sheer persistence. Nobody has the right to say that I am ugly, and I will not be a professional victim, you know. Sorry!

I don't need a Rolls-Royce, I don't need a house in the country, I don't need to live in the south of France. I'm quite happy as I am.

It's a repressive society where you can't be horrible, I'm not horrible, they made me horrible, I'm just honest.

I nearly die of fear before I go on stage. Something wicked. I can't eat a thing the day before a gig.

You should never, ever be understood completely. That's like the kiss of death, isn't it? It's a full stop. I don't ever think you should put full stops on thoughts. They change.

If you give me the chance, I'll destroy America for you.

Punk is like looking at a mirror. I already have a mirror so I don't need the Offspring to remind me how gorgeous I am.

I find Lady Gaga hilarious. And I kind of like her. My heart's warmed to her.

I never thought of Green Day as a punk band. Just bubblegum, really.

If you have something to say then you want someone to pay attention or at least to have the opportunity for them to tell you to shut up and go away.

You can't arrest me, I'm a rockstar.