I think my songwriting might be a little more on the darker side maybe.

We don’t need more ‘What if the mother is going to die’ debated, we need ‘I had an abortion because I was not ready to be a mother. It was my choice and my right. I own it. Back the f@#( up.

If you want to be noticed as a drop of water, why would you move to the ocean?

Country music is completely punk-rock. It's the original punk-rock.

The most tender place in my heart is for strangers. I know it's unkind, but my own blood is much too dangerous.

You're not supposed to totally know what's happening. The songs are supposed to give you clues so you can fill in the blanks.

The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight. The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You.

I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn't tell you that at one time in my life I thought the way that you made music was you got on a major label and you got famous.

Playing in an independent rock band will eventually make you equal parts truck driver, gladiator and mule. Glamour is for those with trust funds.

We shouldn't censor ourselves based on the weak idea of "looking cool." It's such a waste of potential awesomeness.

I grew up with lots of animals and I related more to them than I did to people. I feel a lot of empathy for them.

He knew these last lines by heart and mouthed them now in the darkness. My reason for life. Not living, but life. That was the touch. And she was his reason for life, and why he must survive.

Find the good - and praise it.

Must not I then entertain the saints because I must keep my conscience.

People wouldn't even go into science unless there was something much bigger to be discovered, something that is transcendent.

When gentle persuasion [of children] falls on deaf ears, we resort to ridicule and rebuke. Then we return to threats and punishment. This is the modus operandi of a mutual frustration society.

We have to say what we believe... whether it's popular or not.

Few men in our history have ever obtained the Presidency by planning to obtain it.

When power replaces truth as the goal, assertion replaces reason as the path

It was a challenge for me to see how I could deal with that at Jil, and I had a lot of doubt about it. I wondered if maybe it was just better to do your own thing in the long run, like an artist.

What's keeping you from being rich? In most cases it's simply a lack of belief. In order to become rich, you must believe you can do it, and you must take the actions necessary to achieve your goal.