Patriotism is an instant reaction that fades away when the war starts.
Killing for ideas is the most dangerous form of killing at all. Being willing to die for your ideas rather than your country is another concept, but dying for an idea, like in religion, is absurd.
My father was furious with me, absolutely furious. I’m sure he wouldn’t have been so mad if I’d have volunteered to join the army. Anything but this. He couldn’t believe it. I agree with him: It wasn’t a viable career opportunity.
You wake up in the morning and you look at your old spoon, and you say to yourself, ‘Mick, it’s time to get yourself a new spoon.’ And you do.
My secrets must be poetic to be believable.
He stole my music but he gave me my name.
When you write songs, you have to like them yourself first, but then you have to make everyone else like them, because you can force them to play it, but you can’t force them to like it.
A lot of times songs are very much of a moment, that you just encapsulate. They come to you, you write them, you feel good that day, or bad that day.
People love talking about when they were young and heard Honky Tonk Women for the first time. It’s quite a heavy load to carry on your shoulders, the memories of so many people.
I enjoy doing different kinds of things. I just enjoy being not tied too much. I feel that I’m tied to myself as a kind of traditional musician and a singer, and the history that I have ties me down.
I prefer to live in a rented house. No ties. Nothing around my neck. Just the minimum kind of bare comforts of home.
I am not a librarian of my own work. It’s a good thing not to be too involved with what you have done.
If you get to be a really big headliner, you have to be prepared for people throwing bottles at you in the night.
The Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has just published the story of her life. I confess that it is not in my reading table.
I think, like most people, my moral values tend to be pretty fuzzy.
My mother has always been unhappy with what I do. She would rather I do something nicer, like be a bricklayer.
Time is on my side, yes it is.
I have never wanted to give up performing on stage, but one day the tours will be over.
The new fashion is to talk about the most private parts of your life; other fashion is to repent of your excesses and to criticize the drugs that made you happy in the other times.
People get very thoughtful when they are in cars. I no longer care for cars. I don’t collect them.