Or you can be like the Soviet Union, start out with ideals, and end up ceasing to exist.

Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.

America's criminal justice system isn't known for rehabilitation. I'm not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore.

I don't believe that songwriting has to be profound, but I truly believe that it's a crime for you to go outta your way for it not to be.

I have a low tolerance for mediocrity in music and life. I'm into pain and joy and the in-between doesn't interest me.

Actually, in its purest form, Islam is incredibly tolerant. That makes what's going on in the world really bizarre.

All we do as songwriters is rewrite the songs that have impressed us till we find our own voice. It's part of learning the craft.

You see things differently at 40 than you do at 31. Especially if you got to 40 the way I did.

Every day on Earth is another chance to get it right.

I don't really think in terms of obstacles. My biggest obstacle is always myself.

To me, religion is an agreement between a group of people about what God is. Spirituality is a one-on-one relationship.

There is no aspect of life that you take that does not demand discipline. It is a requirement of life. It is not a matter of choice.

Usually, the stuff that's your best idea or work is going to be attacked the most.

I've got a love affair with Harley-Davidson. One of my earliest photos with my dad is of him holding me as a baby on his bike.

Ours is not the first generation to understand the dire need for health reform. And I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last.

Read like a wolf eats and write every day. Every. Single. Day.

I am going to leave everything on the field. I am going everywhere, and I am going to listen to everybody.

You should play with real musicians; the best music comes from real people interacting with each other.

When you’re doing stuff online, you should behave as if you’re doing it in public – because increasingly, it is.

Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.

In Moscow I feel most comfortable. I'm used to four different seasons; it's difficult for people in London to understand. People brought up in Russia like my kids want to play in the snow.