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

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.

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.

You know you are changing when you are moving towards something bigger than yourself. Your Life!

There is no history of anything happening until it does.And then there is.

Frustration is having a debate with a blind man on shades of red

Human beings have rights, because they are moral beings: the rights of all men grow out of their moral nature; and as all men have the same moral nature, they have the same rights.

The comforting thing to the horse is, is as you become more and more accurate, he knows you’re aware of him, and pretty soon because of that he’s aware of you more and more of the time.

Each generation thinks it fights new battles. But the battles are the same. Only the people are different.

I hate mornings. They start so early.

trust your heart but use your head

I am not the same man you found that day! The monster you've created has returned, to kill you!

There are other ways I think of myself as spoiling myself ... I ... get a massage once a week. Other people can, I didn't used to, and I can now.