My intellect has always been more responsible than my emotions for how I respond to the world.

I think that if you have a strong narrative, if the idea of the song can be boiled down to the basics, it won't change that much.

Kindness to me is only powerful if it has the cruel streak behind it. If someone is kind all the time under all circumstances, they're just simple-minded. Kindness is only worth something if you have the cruel streak to back it up.

Writing in other voices is almost Japanese in the sense that theres a certain formality there which allows me to sidestep the embarrassment of directly expressing to complete strangers the most intimate details of my life.

Don't uncork what you can't contain

Some girls are taught to be sexy.

You have to defend your honor. And your family.