There's a great expression that says, "God is a jealous lover," and it's a very accurate expression that has nothing to do with whatever you see god or nature as.

The moments when I first made something, like when I first wrote a song please me so intensely. Everything else after that is just the act of communication.

I've tried to make music that's more universal, but for me, it's most successful emotionally when it's most specific to what I'm going through.

In the silence, hear what can't be heard.

As a musician or a performer, you're meant to know what you're about, but it's ridiculous that someone 14 would have any idea of what they're about.

I literally make music for my wife and my friends. I don't feel beholden to my fans. I don't even really know who they are. But, I know that this whole thing started with me making stuff that I got off on, and I've gotta believe that that's how it's going to end, too. That's the only way it can go. There are a lot of artists who have gotten pretty caught up in that. That's why I like the defeatist attitude. Just assume that no one is going to like it and that no one cares, and you'll end up making something that you really like.

I like albums where all the songs are written in one go. If you're trying to create the number-one album with the best songs ever, I get why you'd want to write for three years and pick the best ones, but for me, I'd rather hear a group of songs that are all expressing a state, or time of your life. I think it's more that.