The biggest shock when I lost it all was the realization that so much of my life had been out of my control. When I started to make the money back, I vowed that it would never happen again. I bought things only when I could afford them. There was no big mortgage, no cars on hire purchase. I remember buying a TR6 sports car for £6,000, and funnily enough it gave me more pleasure than the Porsche ever had.
Simon CowellNo, what I am doing is kind by telling people who are useless, "Do something that you're good at".
Simon CowellThe minute you start assuming that the audience is very happy to see the same show again, you're dead.
Simon CowellIt simply works. You do it twice a year. Who cares? And it balances my smoking and drinking.
Simon CowellI don't have sophisticated tastes. I have average tastes. If you looked in my collection of DVDs, you'd see 'Jaws' and 'Star Wars.' In the book library, you'd see John Grisham and Sidney Sheldon. And if you look in my fridge, it's, like, children's food - chips, milkshakes, yogurt.
Simon CowellWhether they run a record company or a grocery store, every boss will tell you you're in big trouble if you're borrowing more than you can ever afford to pay back. Delaying the pain for future generations is suicidal. We've got to start getting the deficit down right now, not next year.
Simon CowellI'd say the most dangerous thing I've ever done is probably bungee jumping in Thailand...
Simon CowellFor the music business, social networking is brilliant. Just when you think it's doom and gloom and you have to spend millions of pounds on marketing and this and that, you have this amazing thing now called fan power. The whole world is linked through a laptop. It's amazing. And it's free. I love it. It's absolutely brilliant.
Simon CowellI don't like kids that are pushed into things by stage mums, but when I can see they are having a good time, they're excited and enjoying the process, then I think it's wrong to discriminate.
Simon CowellI do see a big difference in the American work ethic compared to the British work ethic in a lot of artists.
Simon CowellI like spaghetti bolognese, I like baked beans on toast. I hate French food. I hate fancy food.
Simon CowellWork hard, be patient, and be a sponge while learning your business. Learn how to take criticism. Follow your gut instincts and don't compromise.
Simon CowellMoney brings you security and choice. You can make decisions in a different way if you have a lot of money. But when you have nothing, you have a naivety, and a more fearless attitude because you have nothing to lose.
Simon CowellAnything I shouldn't laugh at makes me laugh. I mean, I'm bad at that, when somebody is singing something terribly and I'm thinking to myself, 'If I laugh now, this is the absolute worst thing I could ever do,' and then I start laughing and I can't stop.
Simon CowellIf your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.
Simon CowellHarshness to me is giving somebody false hopes and not following through. That's harsh. Telling some guy or some girl who've got zero talent that they have zero talent actually is a kindness.
Simon CowellIn TV, film, and music there's a lot of snobbery, and I don't like it. I've never been a cultural snob.
Simon CowellMy dad said to me, 'Work hard and be patient.' It was the best advice he ever gave me. You have to put the hours in.
Simon CowellI look at him [son Eric] and I think of my dad all the time.... I was born to be a dad.
Simon CowellI could just sit back and get someone to spin my achievements, I suppose, but when I see others do it, I always think, 'Why are you telling me how successful you are?' I am always suspicious of those kinds of boasts.
Simon CowellThe only people with power today are the audience. And that is increasing with Twitter, Facebook, and everything else. We cater to their likes and dislikes, and you ignore that at your peril.
Simon CowellI don't like people who are hypocritical, who pretend to be nice, particularly in show business when they're nice on camera, and then off camera they're absolutely appalling to the makeup people, or the waitress in a restaurant, you know? I don't like - I can't bear those kind of people. So I like people who are, you know, up front in your face.
Simon CowellThe end of the animal trade would leave more time to trap or beat to death pop star wannabes.
Simon CowellBeyonce is good-looking. Jennifer Lopez is good-looking. Madonna used to be good-looking.
Simon CowellWomen say hello and then put their hands down my trousers. I thought it was my hand they were supposed to shake.
Simon CowellI thought the first two seasons of America's Got Talent were good. I think this one is the best one by a mile because they - you see the difference this year, I think, with the crowd being effectively the fourth judge. But most importantly, I think that these shows have to have a relevance because if you're not finding stars at the back of these shows - whether it's Idol or Got Talent - they're a complete waste of time.
Simon CowellI've always been petrified of working for a boss who I didn't like but who I was in fear of, because I wanted my salary.
Simon CowellOf course I have an ego, but you have to have an ego. You have to be incredibly competitive. I can get competitive at times, way too much, and it becomes a little bit obsessive.
Simon CowellMy dad wasn't someone who was a great disciplinarian, we had a fun relationship, but he gave me really constructive advice in my life, which I still carry today and I do pass on to other people. So if I can have the same relationship with my son as I had with my dad, then I think he'll be very happy and I'll be very happy.
Simon CowellEvery show I've ever, you know, produced, essentially it's the show I want to watch myself.
Simon CowellI can't stand stage mothers. It doesn't work. You definitely feel that with the new generation of pop stars right now they've all managed to work it out for themselves. You have to have confidence in that. When you're young, you know your market better than I will. I love having young people on the show because I can learn from them.
Simon CowellMusic should always be polarizing. What one person likes, somebody else hates. And I hate that kind of snobbery in pop music. The fact that so many people are getting upset over this one song is hysterical. And if people like it, that's great.
Simon CowellYou have to be original. The people creating a buzz on YouTube are taking risks, and they're doing something different. I like it when 15 year-olds come on and tell me what to do rather than the other way around.
Simon CowellI love producing shows. And so when you're on a show where other people are making decisions you don't necessarily agree with it, after a while you start to feel like a passenger.
Simon CowellEveryone who turns up on 'X Factor' does it because a door has been closed to them at some time in their lives, and this is the only shot they have got.
Simon CowellI think the best singers in the world, historically, are American. Britain's got its fair share, as well, but some of the greatest singers, ever, whether you're talking about Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey or Aretha Franklin, are from the legacy here.
Simon CowellOn one level, going bust didn't bother me. It was the 80s, and there wasn't the stigma about bankruptcy that you might think. My mates weren't bothered. My dad was in business.. he knew that it happened, too. He loaned me the money to bail me out, and I got a loan from the bank to pay him back.
Simon Cowell