I always tell people, 'The music's free. I get paid to travel.'

Lyrically, 'less words mean more' is a pretty good rule of thumb. Try to cut out the fat and get to the meat of what you're saying.

Among my dad's generation, when you gave another man a pocketknife as a gift, it was a show of respect. I'll still give someone the knife out of my pocket.

When you're writing with an artist or for an artist, you have to help them serve their vision. That's the cool part about writing songs. There are no rules.

Anytime that another artist or a critic that is well-respected says something nice about you, you're always thankful and hope that you can live up to that.

It's such a strange marriage, a song and someone that sings it. When that works, it really works, and when it doesn't, it doesn't.

There’s hardly anybody who doesn’t hate somebody now, and nobody at all whom somebody doesn’t hate.

Authors have to help each other out. It isn't a competition

When my brother called to inform me, on the morning of May 22, 2003, that our mother Caroline Oates had died suddenly of a stroke, it was a shock from which, in a way, I have yet to recover.

So long as one is able to pose one has still much to learn about suffering.

Well, I think music for kids is never anything but experimental is it?

She [Hillary Clinton] wants to start an air war over Syria with Russia, a nuclear-armed power.

It is better that a man should tyrannize over his bank balance than over his fellow-citizens.

The best way to create spectacular results in the most important areas of your life is through daily practice

Relationships can go wrong very simply, very quickly, and when you have children you become more aware of relationships around you.

It all depends whether hope is in front or behind you.