Top quotes by Paul Simon

I was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown. There was a dish called Mother and Child Reunion. It's chicken and eggs. And I said, I gotta use that one. Votes: 45

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence. Votes: 25

I think Bridge Over Troubled Water was a very good song. Artie sang it beautifully. The Boxer was a really nice record. But I don't think I've written any great songs. Votes: 21

I don't feel any pressure from fans. But I'm always in some kind of state of emotional turmoil. I would not describe myself as happy-go-lucky. That's not to say that I'm not happy. Votes: 18

Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die. Votes: 17

Mrs. Robinson is a little dated now, but it has nothing to do with Joe DiMaggio. Votes: 17

If you can get humor and seriousness at the same time, you've created a special little thing, and that's what I'm looking for, because if you get pompous, you lose everything. Votes: 15

Kodachrome, it gives us those nice bright colors Gives us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah! I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph So momma, don't take my Kodachrome away... Votes: 15

Listen to the sound of silence. Votes: 14

The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains. Votes: 13

I try to open up my heart as much as I can and keep a real keen eye out that I don't get sentimental. I think we're all afraid to reveal our hearts. It's not at all in fashion. Votes: 13

Artie travels all the time. The rehearsals were just miserable. Artie and I fought all the time. He didn't want to do the show with my band; he just wanted me on acoustic guitar. Votes: 12

Anybody can do bad work, but not everybody does good work. Votes: 12

As long as you have capital punishment there is no guarantee that innocent people won't be put to death. Votes: 10

It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no importance once it's finished. Votes: 10

I don't consider myself to be a major talent, so the only solace I can take is to hope I'm growing. Votes: 9

When I was 15, I made a solo record. It made Artie very unhappy. He looked upon it as something of a betrayal. Votes: 9

Having a track record to live up to and the history of successes had become a hindrance. It becomes harder to break out of what people expect you to do. Votes: 8

We've survived by believing our life is going to get better. Votes: 8

The record company stay out of my way. Whenever the record is finished, they take it. Votes: 6

I think I have a superior brain and an inferior stature, if you really want to get brutal about it. Votes: 6

I'm laying out my winter clothes and wishing I was gone, Going home, where the new york city winters aren't bleedin' me. Votes: 6

Without Arthur's voice, I never would have enjoyed that success. Votes: 5

Who am I to blow against the wind? Votes: 5

I would be willing to do almost anything to make Art happy. I care about our friendship. The only thing I won't do is change the essence of my work. Votes: 4

I don't very often think I've done a good job. I don't like the majority of what I do. I shouldn't say I don't like it, but I'm not satisfied with almost everything that I do. Votes: 2

I'm not in it for the money. I like music. I love to write music. I can't imagine myself not playing or singing or writing. It would just drive me crazy if I didn't. Votes: 2

A fundamental requirement, overriding any other for this job, is an understanding of deafness-what it is and how it affects the educational experience. Votes: 2

All lies and jests, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. Votes: 2

Not every song I write is ecstasy. And it can happen only one time. After that, when you sing the same melody and words, it's pleasure, but you don't get wiped out. Votes: 2

I don't believe what the papers are saying They're just out to capture my dime, Exaggerating this, exaggerating that. Votes: 0

I like them all. ... They're all pictures of me when I wrote them. ... I have no favorite songs. Votes: 0

Cecilia was made in a living room on a Sony. It was like a little piece of magical fluff, bur it works. El Condor Pasa a Los Incas record that I love. Bridge is a very strong melodic song. Votes: 0

There are lots of really good guitarists, but they play with the same pedals that everybody else does. Everybody buys the same pedals, so the sounds tend to be the same. I am looking for different ways of doing that without having to spend days and weeks and months fooling around with pedals, which I don't enjoy. Votes: 0

Sail on silver girl, sail on by...your time has come to shine all your dreams are on their way...see how they shine..oh and if you need a friend. I'm sailing right behind...... Votes: 0

The students of Gallaudet have sent a powerful message across this country! Votes: 0

Life I love you, all is groovy. Votes: 0

Just slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan, you don't need to be coy, Roy, just get yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus, you don't need to discuss much, just drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free. Votes: 0

Why am I so soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard? Votes: 0

When I look back at all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all. Votes: 0

And so you see I have come to doubt -All that I once held as true ~ I stand alone without beliefs -The only truth I know is you Votes: 0

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance. Votes: 0

These are the days of lasers in the jungle, staccato signals of constant information... Votes: 0

...what threatens us today in the world of computers and other invasions of privacy is not a national ID card but a number of other things. Votes: 0

And she said 'Losing love is like a window in your heart, Everybody sees you're blown apart, Everybody feels the wind blow.' Votes: 0

Losing love is like a window in your heart... Votes: 0

There's something about the sound of a train that's very romantic and nostalgic and hopeful. Votes: 0

I met my old lover on the street last night, she seemed glad to see me. Votes: 0

Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes Put it in your pantry with your cupcakes Votes: 0

You want to be a writer, don't know how or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen. Votes: 0

So I'll continue to continue to pretend my life will never end, and flowers never bend with the rainfall. Votes: 0

And so you see I have come to doubt ~~ All that I once held as true ~~ I stand alone without beliefs ~~ The only truth I know is you Votes: 0

Kodachrome... it gives us those nice, bright colors,gives us the greens of summers,makes ya think all the world's a sunny day,Oh yeah!I've got a Nikon camera, I'd love to take a photograph,so mama don't take...my Kodachrome away... Votes: 0

I've got nothing to do today but smile. Votes: 0

I have my booksAnd my poetry to protect me;I am shielded in my armor,Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.I touch no one and no one touches me.I am a rock,I am an island. Votes: 0

People talking without speaking,/ People listening without hearing...Sounds of Silence. Votes: 0

Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on. Votes: 0

Big box just wasn't our strength. We are a men's and boy's specialty store focused on providing high quality clothing with custom tailoring. Our customer is king. When we had seven stores, communication between the stores and with our customers became more disconnected. We started to lose that great family 'camaraderie' that is essentially the key to our success. Votes: 0

Believing I had supernatural powers, I slammed into a brick wall. Votes: 0

We got on American Bandstand, where kids would dance to a record and then rate it. We called ourselves Tom and Jerry. I was Jerry. Votes: 0

You have underestimated my power, as you will shortly discover. Votes: 0

I see a correlation between short stories and songs, because of their length and for what they're meant to evoke. Combine certain words with melodies and it all becomes very moving. Votes: 0

People often called us perfectionists, but we were not looking for perfection. We were looking for some kind of magic in the music. Votes: 0

Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo. Votes: 0

Facts can be turned into art if one is artful enough. Votes: 0

When we came into the studio I became more and more me, making the tracks and choosing the musicians, partly because a great deal of the time during Bridge, Artie wasn't there. Votes: 0

Artie is a singer, and I'm a writer and player and a singer. We didn't work together on a creative level and prepare the songs. I did that. Votes: 0

I question what emotion Manilow touches. People are entertained by him. But are they emotionally moved? I don't believe anything that Barry Manilow sings. Votes: 0

Faith is an island in the setting sun, But proof is the bottom line for everyone. Votes: 0

My voice is my improvisational instrument, the melody instrument. The guitar is harmonic structure. I'm not a good enough guitarist to improvise on it. Votes: 0

We had many more points of agreement than we had points of difference, but we did differ, and the bigger we got, the more insistent we got that each one of us should have his way. Votes: 0

One of the things that upset me was some of the criticism leveled at Simon and Garfunkel. I always took exception to it, but actually I agree with a lot of it. Votes: 0

We just did what we'd done when we were an act in the '60s. But I found it impossible to hold a dialogue with 500,000 people. In a certain sense, it was numbing. Votes: 0

I don't think that Simon and Garfunkel as a live act compares to Simon and Garfunkel as a studio act. Votes: 0

I lived in an attached house. My father used to drive into the wrong driveway all the time. He'd say, Damn it, how do you tell one of these houses from another? Votes: 0

I don't like fashion. It's very heartless. Votes: 0

I suppose an artist takes the elements of his life and rearranges them and then has them perceived by others as though they were the elements of their lives. Votes: 0

My whole artistic life has always been about change, change, change, move on, move on. It's the only thing I find interesting. Votes: 0

It's a big error to think that because you like somebody's work, you're going to like him. Votes: 0

* She said, why don't we both just sleep on it tonight And I believe, in the morning you'll begin to see the light And then she kissed me and I realized she probably was right There must be fifty ways to leave your lover, fifty ways to leave your lover Paul Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years (1975), 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover First thing I remember when you came into my life I said I wanna get that girl, no matter what I do Well I guess I've been in love before and once or twice have been on the floor But I've never loved no-one the way that I love you. Votes: 0

...everything looks worse in black and white. Votes: 0

...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists. Votes: 0

A lot of talent is a gift, but a lot is also luck. I'm very aware of that. I was born in the right place at the right time. I am also blessed because I've never been a sex symbol. I'm spared the embarrassment of acting young. Votes: 0

A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around. He doesn't speak the language. He holds no currency. He is a foreign man. He is surrounded by the sound, sound of cattle in the marketplace, scatterlings and orphanages. He looks around, around he sees angels in the architecture spinning in infinity and he says, "Amen" and "Hallelujah! Votes: 0

A phenomenon occurs but because you're in the middle of it, you just think it's your life-until it's over. And then you look back and say, What an unusual thing happened to me in the '60s. Votes: 0

A songwriter's supreme challenge is being complex and simple at the same time Votes: 0

After all those years of automatic success, you don't get nervous any more. It's really necessary to be nervous and be a little bit frightened. It pumps the adrenalin into you and you really get down there and try. Votes: 0

All God requires from us is to enjoy life and love. That's the whole point. Votes: 0

All I've got to do today is smile. Votes: 0

Although I was able to study music with teachers, I never studied lyric writing. I read poetry, and I read other lyricists. But they were never writing in the style or the form that I was interested in. Votes: 0

And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries. Votes: 0

And I must be what I must be and face tomorrow. Votes: 0

And you read your emily dickinson, And I my robert frost. And we note our place with bookmarkers That measure what weve lost. Votes: 0

Anthony Heilbut has been a guide and a mentor to me. I know of no one who has the love and depth of knowledge of this extraordinary author. Votes: 0

As soon as your mind knows that it's on and it's supposed to produce some lines, either it doesn't or it produces things that are very predictable. And that's why I say I'm not interested in writing something that I thought about. I'm interested in discovering where my mind wants to go, or what object it wants to pick up. Votes: 0

Being an artist doesn't mean that you're a good artist. That was the bargain I first made with myself: I'd say, I'm an artist, but I'm not really very good. Votes: 0

Breakdowns come, and breakdowns go. Votes: 0

By the time I was 12 or 13, I felt that I was special, because I could play the guitar and write songs. Votes: 0

Couple in the next room bound to win a prize, they've been going at it all night long. Votes: 0

Don't want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon grave yard. Votes: 0

Elvis was the reason I picked up the guitar. Votes: 0

Every time the industry gets powerful, and corporate thinking dominates what the music is, then the music really pales. Votes: 0

Far above the golden clouds, the darkness vibrates. The earth is blue. And everything about it is a love song. Everything about it. Votes: 0

Given all the facts that I'm young and I'm in good health and I'm famous - that I have talent, I have money - given all these facts, I want to know why I'm so unhappy. Votes: 0

How can you live in the Northeast? Votes: 0

How much can you do with two voices? You can sing thirds or you can sing fifths or you can do a background harmony. Votes: 0

I always get very calm with baseball. Votes: 0

I am just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told, and I have squandered my resistance, for a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises. All lies in jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest...la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lala-la-la-la-la... Votes: 0

I don't know what I'm going to write when I begin to write. It feels like you are walking down a path, but you can't see around the bend and you don't know where you are going to go, which is fun. Votes: 0

I don't really know why an idea comes to me. But all of a sudden, an idea comes and from experience I can intuit what something means when an interesting line pops up. Or I can intuit what an interesting choice might be. And I can try a couple of different choices, and see which one feels right, and then continue the song to see where it goes. Votes: 0

I don't really like to write at a desk. I like to write when driving in a car. ... Once you're working on it, you're working on it all the time, and sometimes stuff'll come in the middle of the night, in a dream or something. Your mind is working on it all the time. Votes: 0

I don't think [Dylan and the Beatles] influenced me a lot. I think it was inevitable; they were so powerful that you couldn't really escape the influence. Votes: 0

I feel I should try to reveal. When you hit it right, you produce an emotional response in the listener that can be cathartic. When you're wrong, you're soppy, sentimental. Votes: 0

I get the news I need on the weather report And I have nothing to do today but smile Votes: 0

I have my books and my poetry to protect me Votes: 0

I just said, you know, this is a great track but this lyric, I don't believe it. It sounds like I'm trying to say something, instead of it naturally coming out of me, like I was saying something that I already knew. Anyway, I can't remember what it was. And either I threw it all out or I threw 90 percent of it out, and kept a line or two. That's happened a couple of times to me. Not too often, but a couple of times. Very aggravating when it does happen. Votes: 0

I know a man He came from my home town He wore his passion for his woman Like a thorny crown He said "Dolores I live in fear My love for you's so overpowering I'm afraid that I will disappear Votes: 0

I like working with sound; sound and rhythm. I like the abstract more than "What does that mean?" Nobody ever says to you, "Why did you use a harmonium?" Or "What is that ringing sound that occurs here?" The questions are always "What does that song mean?" or "What were you trying to say here?" Votes: 0

I met my old lover on the street last night. She seemed so glad to see me, I just smiled. Then we talked about some old times and we drank ourselves some beers, still crazy after all these years. Votes: 0

I rate each album as better than the last one. That's how I see it. Votes: 0

I really don't know what exactly all the songs mean. Sometimes other people have meanings and when I hear them I think, 'That's really a better meaning than I thought, and perfectly valid, given the words that exist.' So part of what makes a song really good is that people take in different meanings, and they apply them, and they might be more powerful than the ones I'm thinking. Votes: 0

I regret the ending of our friendship and hope one day before we die, we'll make peace with each other . . . No rush. Votes: 0

I sort of recognize it, as opposed to shaping it. Oh, that's a good idea, that's a good line. I wonder where I can use that. And when you get into a rhyme group like 'not,' you got a lot of rhymes, you got a lot of choices. The more you do it, the luckier you get. Votes: 0

I stepped outside to smoke a J and when I came back to the room, everybody just seemed to move. Votes: 0

I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved I never would have cried...I am a rock. Votes: 0

I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers, still crazy after all these years. Votes: 0

I'm always going forward toward something, and that something is usually an album, because I like to record. I probably like to record more than I like to write. Votes: 0

I'm going to Graceland, for reasons I cannot explain. There's some part of me wants to see Graceland. And I may be advised to defend every love, every ending, or maybe there's no obligations now. Maybe I've a reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland. Votes: 0

I'm more interested in what I discover than what I invent. Votes: 0

In the clearing stands the boxer, and a fighter by his trade. And he carries a reminder of every glove that laid him down... or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame "I am leaving! I am leaving" but the fighter still remains. Votes: 0

Instead of thinking in terms of chords, I think of voice-leading; that is, melody line and bass line, and where the bass line goes. If you do that, you'll have the right chord. [These voices] will give you some alternatives, and you can play those different alternatives to hear which one suits your ear... Keep the bass line moving so you don't stay in one spot: if you have an interesting bass line and you roll it against the melody, the chords are going to come out right. Votes: 0

It was easier than explaining DiMaggio's use as a metaphor. Votes: 0

It was the year of the Beatles, it was the year of the Stones, it was 1964. Votes: 0

It's actually very difficult to make something both simple and good. Votes: 0

It's outrageous to line your pockets off the misery of the poor; It's outrageous, the crimes some human beings must endure... Votes: 0

It's very helpful to start with something that's true. If you start with something that's false, you're always covering your tracks. Something simple and true, that has a lot of possibilities, is a nice way to begin. Votes: 0

I've got a reason to believe we all be received in Graceland, Graceland, Memphis Tennessee. Votes: 0

Jay Ashby is simply a great musician! Votes: 0

Journalists should be people in whom there is at least a flicker of hope. Votes: 0

Justice Stevens is one of those who are most sensitive to the least powerful in our society. Votes: 0

Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away. Votes: 0

Maybe I think too much for my own good. Votes: 0

Maybe the heart is part of the mist. And that's all that there is or could ever exist. Maybe and maybe and maybe some more. Maybe's the exit that I'm looking for. Votes: 0

Medicine is magical and magical is art, the boy in the bubble, and the baby with the baboon heart. Votes: 0

Most of the time, the songs have jokes in them, little sarcastic things, or purposely kitsch or something. So that's going along with a story, like I do in life, just talking to myself and making fun of stuff and laughing at stuff that's serious. And sometimes it's a good idea to put the laughing into the songs. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's all right just to be serious. But most of the songs have some kind of joke in them. Votes: 0

Most of the time, when I had hits as a soloist - maybe not so much with Simon & Garfunkel - I was surprised they were hits. I didn't know what the hits were. I never thought that 'Loves Me Like A Rock' was going to be a hit, or 'Mother And Child Reunion,' or '50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.' They didn't sound like what the hits sounded like at the time. Radio was more open to things that weren't exactly what every other hit was. Votes: 0

Much of songwriting is simply a mystery. Votes: 0

My life so common it disappears and sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears. Votes: 0

Nor is it strange That after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same Votes: 0

One man's ceiling is another man's floor. Votes: 0

People ask how I feel about getting old. I tell them I have the same question. I'm learning as I go. Votes: 0

Philip Larkin didn't write for several years before his life ended. And when he was asked why he didn't write, he said the muse deserted him. It sort of scared me. That's why I think I have no right to assume that some thought is going to come. ... But I think, in my imagination, if it is it, there will probably be something else I'm interested in. Votes: 0

Poverty is not an act of God. It is the result of flawed policy, and that is a moral challenge. Votes: 0

Serious numbers will speak to us always. Votes: 0

She said a good day ain't got no rain She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed And I think of things that might have been Votes: 0

She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy I said 'Be careful his bowtie is really a camera' Votes: 0

Someone could walk into this room and say your life is on fire. Votes: 0

Somewhere in a burst of glory / Sound becomes a song. Votes: 0

Take me. I'm an ordinary player in the key of C. And my will was broken by my pride and my vanity. Who's gonna love you when you're looks are gone? God will. Like he waters the flowers on your window sill. Votes: 0

Take two bodies and you twirl them into one, their hearts and their bones, and they won't come undone. Votes: 0

The abstract music is just more interesting because it doesn't really have anything to say, but if it is good, it creates thoughts and feelings, and I enjoy that. For me, once the music creates those thoughts and feelings, I begin to write a song about it. Votes: 0

The course of a lifetime runs/over and over again Votes: 0

The death penalty is reserved for people who do not Votes: 0

The degree of customization possible through your Preferences screens is awesome. Votes: 0

The dialogue between what's going on in the world and what's going on internally seems to be a natural thing - well, it's natural to me, anyway, to have these thoughts. Votes: 0

The leaves that are green turn to brown. And they wither with the wind. And they crumble in your hand. Votes: 0

The more I get to thinking, the less I tend to laugh. Votes: 0

The phrasing didn't work as well. Votes: 0

The problem is all inside your head, she said to me The answer is easy if you take it logically I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free There must be fifty ways to leave your lover. Votes: 0

The public hungers to see talented young people kill themselves. Votes: 0

The risk of failure is part of the fun of what I do. Votes: 0

The trick is, as I know it, is to care like hell and not give a damn at the same time. Votes: 0

The Wisdom is old, the Koran is old, the Bible is old. Disagreements? Work 'em out. Votes: 0

The words come. Usually, it's a long time before they come. And then when they start to come, it doesn't take so long for it to be finished. It takes a long time to begin. And then it sort of gets finished. Votes: 0

Then she kissed me and I realized she probably was right, there must be fifty ways to leave your lover. Votes: 0

There are two sorts of people in the world: Those who listen and those who are thinking about what they are going to say next. Votes: 0

There is a moment, a chip in time, when leaving home is the lesser crime. Votes: 0

There must be 50 ways to leave your lover. Votes: 0

These are the days of miracle and wonder. Votes: 0

They've got a wall in China, it's a thousand miles long. To keep out the foreigners, they made it strong. And I've got a wall around me, you can't even see. Votes: 0

Time it was And what a time it was, it was A time of innocence A time of confidences Long ago it must be I have a photograph Preserve your memories They're all that's left you Votes: 0

Time, time, time, see what's become of me, While I looked around, For my possibilities; I was so hard to please Votes: 0

To get the stuff out of you, especially if what you're dealing with is yourself, requires you to open up and touch tender spots. You have to be anesthetized a little bit. Votes: 0

Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door. Votes: 0

Was a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. Not a negative word was heard. Votes: 0

We were always able to sing and blend well together; that's our gift. But aside from that, we're really two different guys. Votes: 0

We work our jobs, collect our pay, believe were gliding down the highway, when in fact we're slip sliding away. Votes: 0

We're living in a certain time, and we're aware of it. And that's part of what we're aware of, along with our own personal aches and pains. Votes: 0

When I began making my own albums, the songs became funkier. They were more about the streets. Votes: 0

When I first heard Elvis perform "Bridge Over Trouble Water" it was unbelivable,and I thought to myself, how the hell can I compete with that? Votes: 0

When I was a young reporter, the great vice among journalists was whiskey. Today, it's cynicism. Votes: 0

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Votes: 0

Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone? Votes: 0

You know, life is what you make of it- so beautiful or so what. Votes: 0

If you'll be my body guard, I can be your long lost pal. Votes: 0

I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later that night on the front pages of all the newspapers. Then I got it. Votes: 0

The only time that love is an easy game is when two other people are playing it. Votes: 0

Some people never say the words ‘I love you', for like a child they're longing to be told. Votes: 0

Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts. Votes: 0

I want to rid my heart of envy, and cleanse my soul of rage before I'm through. Votes: 0