Jerry Garcia was a great American master and the Grateful Dead are not just a genuine piece of musical history, but also an important part of American history.

Music has always been my protection against the world, from a very young age. I feel safe inside of a jam.

We want to have a spontaneous adventure. You can't plan an adventure, or it ceases to be one.

Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul. You've got to run like an antelope, out of control.

Ideally the point of music is community, not the player. Musicians are simply channels to link the audience to the music and to each other.

It's like you're surfing... The same wave that can be a source of pain can be a beautiful flowing grace and source of power. It's all a matter of how you respond to it.

If there's one thing I discovered since I came back from hiatus, it's that you can't go backwards.

I'm not trying to pull the rug out from under anybody, but the music really does tell you where to go.

Creativity is the antidote to destruction.

What happens if you start drawing squares? Well, I'd say the answer to that is, don't get famous for drawing circles.

My life was a complete catatrophe. I was very, very sick from drugs and alcohol.

Most of the students there, he said, don't know what they think. You tell 'em, they'll think it. I plan to tell 'em.

Here's to us, who's like us Damn few, and they're all dead.

The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.

Here everybody has a neighbor Everybody has a friend Everybody has a reason to begin again.

I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven.

It is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.

For me there's a need for balance - fulfilling the sensitive side, letting my guard down, holding back the warrior in me. And I have to be vulnerable which is very hard for me to do.

Why should I be unhappy? Each parcel of my being is in full bloom.

Love’s secret is always lifting its head out from under the covers, “Here I am!”

Do you love me?" he asked. I fell silent. "For the rest of it is glitter and noise," he said. "At the heart of it all is love. You make that choice, and you go forward from there.