If people have to put labels on me, I'd prefer the first label to be human being, the second label to be pacifist, and the third to be folk singer.

I've never had a humble opinion. If you've got an opinion, why be humble about it?

Someone had to change the world. And obviously I was the one for the job.

If you're gonna sing meaningful songs, you have to be committed to living a life that backs that up.

Some people don't even notice. "Oh, you sound exactly like you did!" And I say, "OK, if that's what you want to believe, that's fine."

All of us are survivors, but how many of us transcend survival?

I didn't study anything really. I didn't learn out of the books because I couldn't read music very well, so it is what they say it is - you learn from other people. And my cohorts and I would sneak around the coffee shops and hear stuff we wanted to learn, and then you ask whoever was playing it to teach you.