“To me, as a producer, I always want something to set stuff apart.”

I came to NAMM once and saw this guitar that self-tuned, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is the future!’ And I’ve never seen it again.

If you’re thinking about all the possibilities of your life, there are extreme negatives, which you hope don’t happen, and extreme positives, which you just aren’t willing to think about because you think you’ll jinx it.

The amount of times I’ve been told something by artists I’m working with, which I’m sure they haven’t told even their significant other or families, is shocking.

The excuse of having a dog is great, because before I had a dog, I wouldn’t be like, ‘I need to go hike for two hours’; my girlfriend would have been like, ‘What are you doing?’ Now I take the dog, and she comes with me.

There’s always a better word than a swear word.

Well, predominately, if I’m writing for another artist, I’m sitting there with them and we’re writing it together.

It’s always important to be checking in with people you love.

I have nothing against reverb.

Our mom cooks well, and we cook poorly. We try.

The way that we tried to approach every piece of music is, if the song had a brain, it would be aware of its catalog.

People were like, ‘he’s collaborating with Taylor Swift’ and I was like, ‘I am?’ I think she’s wonderful. Her songwriting has inspired me for years.

You go to a truck stop and there are key chains with names on them, and there’s no Finneas. There’s no Billie. They’re little things, but as a kid, you just feel weirdly ostracized.

I really value just being able to go out and grab a coffee or going to a movie and not have anyone recognize me.

You know, that’s kind of always been our philosophy: not letting the place that we are get in the way of making great music.

Kids have tools to do what I’m doing.

I have always loved Ben Folds, he’s like an idol of mine, a hero of mine.

We have much more in common with other people than we have apart.

Besides, switchboard girls and secretaries have become very good. They’ve learned to take you apart. ‘Who? Why? What for? What company?’ You don’t always get by. I seldom call on the phone. I’d rather go.

All well-regulated families set apart an hour every morning for tea and bread and butter

I’ve always felt that blues, rock ‘n’ roll and country are just about a beat apart.

Every authentic poem contributes to the labor of poetry… to bring together what life has separated or violence has torn apart…

The wise only possess ideas; the greater part of mankind are possessed by them.

The forces that unite us are intrinsic and greater than the superimposed influences that keep us apart.

What sets black people apart is not some deficit in personal responsibility. It’s the weight on our shoulders. That is what’s actually different. We have the weight and burden of history.