Patti Smith Quotes

Remember, we are mortal, but poetry is not.

The film [Dream of Life] doesn't hide anything, except maybe moments of sorrow or darkness that belonged to me.

Steven [Sebring] just fell in with my family life. He helped me wash the dishes and play with the kids. I could tell that he was a person who understood families.

Sometimes [people] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar.

I refuse to believe that Hendrix had the last possessed hand, that Joplin had the last drunken throat, that Morrison had the last enlightened mind.

I understood that in this small space of time we had mutually surrendered our loneliness and replaced it with trust.

I wish I could just project everything on the paper.

I didn't waste my time on things I didn't love.

Usually when I go to a place for the first time, unless there's something historical or spectacular that nature has to offer, the first thing I like to do is see what's on the minds of the people.

I got my style from a lot of different people, even my style of reading, even Johnny Carson inspired me.

America is run by corporations, it is run by banks and Wall Street. That's why we can't get guns under control. It's because all these lobbyists don't want gun control, they don't want us to have strong environmental safety guards. Young people can become aware of that and they are the most powerful lobby. With a click of a text, you can have millions of people voting for one person.

I got over the loss of his desk and chair, but never the desire to produce a string of words more precious than the emeralds of Cortés.

I was horny, but I was innocent 'cause I was a real-late bloomer and not particularly attractive. In fact, homely.

I really don't want somebody writing something positive about me if they don't believe in it. I'd rather somebody write something real mean. I like reading bad stuff, it gets me excited. In fact, the only reviews I keep are the bad ones 'cause I think they're the cool ones.

I love my little overgrown yard. And my house is wonderful. It's everything that I need.

In any performance, you're on stage for two hours, and there's 40 seconds or maybe a whole five minutes where you feel like the whole universe is in place, and you've gone even beyond the universe that you know.

Good press, bad press, whatever, only means a lot to me if it's writ by somebody I respect, by somebody I like.

I liked being on stage, I just didn't like the theatrical aspect of being in front of people.