Every time we give a musician the advice to give away the music and sell the T-shirt, we're saying, "Don't make your living in this more elevated way. Instead, reverse this social progress, and choose a more physical way to make a living." We're sending them to peasanthood, very much like the Maoists have.

I'd much rather see a world where, when you make some quirky comment on a blog or news story or you upload a video clip, instead of just a moment of fame for your pseudonym, you'll get 50 bucks. The first time that happens, you'll realise that you're a full-class citizen. You have the potential to make money from the system.

Books are really, really hard to write. They represent a kind of a summit of grappling with what one really has to say

If you get deep enough, you get trapped. Stop calling yourself a user. You are being used.

What does it mean to not be alone? I've approached that question through music, technology, writing and other means.

A remarkable thing about the Silicon Valley culture is that its status structure is so based on technical accomplishment and prowess.

Funding a civilization through advertising is like trying to get nutrition by connecting a tube from one’s anus to one’s mouth.