Some of their best songs don't have bridges and choruses. So that made me think I should trust my instincts. My songs were okay, I figured. I didn't need to change anything.

I'm fascinated by the whole concept of snake handling. When you read about the Pentecostal snake handlers, what strikes you the most is their commitment.

I'm just like everyone. I like to feel togetherness with someone.

So few people are truly themselves when they're in the spotlight.

I'm not just a doormat. I'm not just being stepped on all over the place. If you look at the bulk of my material, it's about trying to find some strength through that.

People let their own hang-ups become the obstacles between them and personal happiness.

As it turns out, now is the moment you've been waiting for

I guess you could write a good song if your heart hadn't been broken, but I don't know of anyone whose heart hasn't been broken.

The perfect man? A poet on a motorcycle.

First thing, I throw on some jeans, a T-shirt and my Keds sneakers and make coffee. That is actually my favorite time of day. That is when I do my songwriting, when I am in writing mode.

Have compassion for everyone you meet, even if they don’t want it.

Being alive is being a part of a dream and there is no dream outside the life!

There are two kinds of terrorism. Rational terrorism such as Palestinian terrorism and apocalyptic terrorism like Sept. 11. You have to distinguish between the two.

My grandfather came over from Puerto Rico and raised his kids speaking English so that it would be easier for them to assimilate.

Fashion ... has brought every thing into vogue, by turns.

It is a commonplace of modern technology that problems have solutions before there is knowledge of how they are to be solved.

No fruit on earth can rival the cemetery's crop

I am not here to speak against the Taliban. I'm here to speak up for the right of every child.

Seems like everybody wants to know if an athlete is on drugs, so you got to stay clear of wild people.

I prefer her [Nina Simone's] jazz period much more so than her folk period.

I'm used to living alone, and I like it that way. You become so selfish living alone...I'd make a terrible husband anyway.