Neil Peart Quotes

For me, drum elements are like hieroglyphics - I think of a certain physical figure, and a little three-dimensional glyph will appear in my mind as I'm playing.

Innocence gave me confidence to go up against reality.

Better the pride that resides as a citizen of the world than a pride that divides when a colorful rag is unfurled

Lotus-land as it appears in 'Free Will' is simply a metaphor for an idealized background, a 'land of milk and honey.' It is sometimes also used as a pejorative name for Los Angeles, though that was not in my mind when I wrote it.

When I'm riding my motorcycle, I'm glad to be alive. When I stop riding my motorcycle, I'm glad to be alive.

If I do something weird, play it twice and it's a new part.

When I was young, my ambitions were very modest. I thought, "If only I could play at the battle of the bands at the Y, that would be the culmination of existence!"

If you've got a problem, take it out on a drum.

Throw off those chains of reason and your prison disappears.

I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose freewill.

You can do a lot in a lifetime, if you don't burn out too fast/You can make the most of the distance/First you need endurance/First you've got to last.

There's still a lot I'm angry about, a lot of human behaviour that's appalling and despicable, but you choose what you can fight against. I always thought if I could just put something in words perfectly enough, people would get the idea and it would change things.

It was actually drumming that gave me the stamina to get into sports later.

I have come to believe that anger and grudges are burning embers in the heart.

Extroverts never understand introverts, and it was like that in school days.

I am a big fan of Dos Passos' stylistic ability, his poetic approach to prose, but the ideas presented in the songs are quite different from those which he exemplified.

Half the world hates What half the world does every day Half the world waits While half gets on with it anyway

To me, drum soloing is like doing a marathon and solving equations at the same time.

Could hell be a place where there is no self-respect? A place where people have no pride in their own existence or behavior, and thus would have none for anyone or anything else?

We're only immortal for a limited time.

And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start to mold a new reality closer to the heart.

All four winds together can't bring the world to me Shadows cast a play of light, so much I want to see Chase the sun around the world, I want to look at life-In the Available Light. I'll go with the wind, I'll stand in the light.

But glittering prizes and endless compromises, Shatter the illusion of integrity...

Everything in moderation, with occasional excess.

Different hearts beat on different strings

It's always a happy day when YYZ appears on our luggage tags.

Once I had defined myself as a compositional drummer, I thought, "Well, I want to be an improvisational drummer."

You just become adaptable and try to lead a good life in ways that make sense, regardless. Because I know at the end of it, if I'm going to meet Jesus or Allah or Buddha, I'm going to be all right.

One likes to believe in the freedom of music...

With people too, you constantly think, "If I'm nice to people and treat them well, they'll appreciate it and behave better." They won't, but it's still not a bad way to live.

What a young musician's dream, to say, "Look at those chrome drums. Look at that 22-inch ride cymbal. I'll have those." It was one of those unparalleled exciting days of your life.

I love jokes as much as anyone, but I don't want to hear my snail jokes every day. But I might want to hear a good song every day.

I'm a linear thinking agnostic, but not an atheist folks.

I'm still no good at ball-and-stick games. If I go play golf with the guys, it's intended to be a joke.

Live for yourself... there's no one else more worth living for...

I read recently that all of us can be defined in adult life by the way others perceived us in high school. I know [people] who had the popular, good-looking path in high school; they tend not to do so well. It was a little bit too easy for them, where for those of us who struggled in every sense, perhaps our determination and self-reliance and discipline were reinforced by that.

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill. I will choose a path thats clear. I will choose Freewill.

Look in, look the storm in the eye. Look out, to the sea and the sky. Look around, at the sight and sound. Look in, look out, look around.

I'm less comfortable in a gregarious social situation, and you can be introverted and still share everything. It just means that you're guarded.

I expect if you're a professional public speaker, you probably wouldn't want to go onstage and sing and play drums.

No one gets to their heaven without a fight...

Half the world cries Half the world laughs Half the world tries To be the other half

Pure libertarianism believes that people will be generous and help each other. Well, they won't. I wish it were so, and I live that way.

What is a master but a master student? And if that's true, then there's a responsibility on you to keep getting better and to explore avenues of your profession.

From first to last, the peak is never passed. Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes.

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

I remain the optimist: you just do your best and hope for the best. But it's an evolving state of mind.

As crises came up later on - "Oh, we have to compromise, and the record company wants to do this," I'd be like, "No, I don't have to."