Paul Simon Quotes

I like working with sound; sound and rhythm. I like the abstract more than "What does that mean?" Nobody ever says to you, "Why did you use a harmonium?" Or "What is that ringing sound that occurs here?" The questions are always "What does that song mean?" or "What were you trying to say here?"

You have underestimated my power, as you will shortly discover.

I just said, you know, this is a great track but this lyric, I don't believe it. It sounds like I'm trying to say something, instead of it naturally coming out of me, like I was saying something that I already knew. Anyway, I can't remember what it was. And either I threw it all out or I threw 90 percent of it out, and kept a line or two. That's happened a couple of times to me. Not too often, but a couple of times. Very aggravating when it does happen.

The Wisdom is old, the Koran is old, the Bible is old. Disagreements? Work 'em out.

The public hungers to see talented young people kill themselves.

I've got a reason to believe we all be received in Graceland, Graceland, Memphis Tennessee.

It's actually very difficult to make something both simple and good.

There are lots of really good guitarists, but they play with the same pedals that everybody else does. Everybody buys the same pedals, so the sounds tend to be the same. I am looking for different ways of doing that without having to spend days and weeks and months fooling around with pedals, which I don't enjoy.

People often called us perfectionists, but we were not looking for perfection. We were looking for some kind of magic in the music.

And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.

Not every song I write is ecstasy. And it can happen only one time. After that, when you sing the same melody and words, it's pleasure, but you don't get wiped out.

I know a man He came from my home town He wore his passion for his woman Like a thorny crown He said "Dolores I live in fear My love for you's so overpowering I'm afraid that I will disappear

I don't consider myself to be a major talent, so the only solace I can take is to hope I'm growing.

Faith is an island in the setting sun, But proof is the bottom line for everyone.

All God requires from us is to enjoy life and love. That's the whole point.

I rate each album as better than the last one. That's how I see it.

How much can you do with two voices? You can sing thirds or you can sing fifths or you can do a background harmony.

My life so common it disappears and sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.

The phrasing didn't work as well.

When I first heard Elvis perform "Bridge Over Trouble Water" it was unbelivable,and I thought to myself, how the hell can I compete with that?

Philip Larkin didn't write for several years before his life ended. And when he was asked why he didn't write, he said the muse deserted him. And when I read that, it really had a profound effect upon me, sort of scared me. So that's why I think I have no right to assume that some thought is going to come... But I think, in my imagination, if it is it, there will probably be something else I'm interested in.

I have my books and my poetry to protect me

These are the days of miracle and wonder.

I see a correlation between short stories and songs, because of their length and for what they're meant to evoke. Combine certain words with melodies and it all becomes very moving.

Kodachrome, it gives us those nice bright colors Gives us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah! I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph So momma, don't take my Kodachrome away.

...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.

By the time I was 12 or 13, I felt that I was special, because I could play the guitar and write songs.

And I must be what I must be and face tomorrow.

...what threatens us today in the world of computers and other invasions of privacy is not a national ID card but a number of other things.

If you can get humor and seriousness at the same time, you've created a special little thing, and that's what I'm looking for, because if you get pompous, you lose everything.

After all those years of automatic success, you don't get nervous any more. It's really necessary to be nervous and be a little bit frightened. It pumps the adrenalin into you and you really get down there and try.

Given all the facts that I'm young and I'm in good health and I'm famous - that I have talent, I have money - given all these facts, I want to know why I'm so unhappy.

Serious numbers will speak to us always.

Some people never say the words ‘I love you’, for like a child they’re longing to be told.

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.

I lived in an attached house. My father used to drive into the wrong driveway all the time. He'd say, Damn it, how do you tell one of these houses from another?

We got on American Bandstand, where kids would dance to a record and then rate it. We called ourselves Tom and Jerry. I was Jerry.

It was the year of the Beatles, it was the year of the Stones, it was 1964.

Lord, I am a surgeon and music is my knife. It cuts away my sorrow and purifies my life.

No one dare disturb the sound of silence...

I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers, still crazy after all these years.

Anthony Heilbut has been a guide and a mentor to me. I know of no one who has the love and depth of knowledge of this extraordinary author.

The course of a lifetime runs/over and over again

I regret the ending of our friendship and hope one day before we die, we'll make peace with each other . . . No rush.

If you'll be my body guard, I can be your long lost pal.

I don't feel any pressure from fans. But I'm always in some kind of state of emotional turmoil. I would not describe myself as happy-go-lucky. That's not to say that I'm not happy.

Don't want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon grave yard.

Anybody can do bad work, but not everybody does good work.