“By general consent, he would have been capable of ruling, had he not ruled.”

It is a principle of human nature to hate those whom we have injured.

The task of history is to hold out for reprobation every evil word and deed, and to hold out for praise every great and noble word and deed.

In private enterprises men may advance or recede, whereas they who aim at empire have no alternative between the highest success and utter downfall.

It is common, to esteem most what is most unknown.

It is the rare fortune of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks.

Keen at the start, but careless at the end.

When men are full of envy they disparage everything, whether it be good or bad.

All those things that are now field to be of the greatest antiquity were at one time new; what we to-day hold up by example will rank hereafter as precedent.

The hatred of relatives is the most violent.

None grieve so ostentatiously as those who rejoice most in heart. [Lat., Nulla jactantius moerent quam qui maxime laetantur.]

Adversity deprives us of our judgment.

Lust of power is the most flagrant of all the passions.

Miseram pacem vel bello bene mutari. Even war is preferable to a shameful peace.

Experience teaches. [Lat., Experientia docet.]

Even the bravest men are frightened by sudden terrors.

Neglected, calumny soon expires, show that you are hurt, and you give it the appearance of truth.

I am a technological activist. I have a political agenda. I am in favor of basic human rights: to free speech, to use any information and technology, to purchase and use recreational drugs, to enjoy and purchase so-called ‘vices’, to be free of intruders, and to privacy.

If you don’t think drugs have done good things for us, then take all of your records, tapes and CD’s and burn them.

I hope the Icelandic government grants me political asylum.

Our media and political system has turned into a mutual protection racket.

So, in some ways, the political songs tend to be a bit more like reportage, whereas the love songs tend to be like novels, you can pick them up off the shelf and go into them any time.

If I am a great man, then all great men are frauds.

We also have to engage – and I think this is important – in national politics because there is no way to address questions of this scale in the short time that we have to address them without engaging in real political change.

In every song I write, whether it’s a love song or a political song or a song about family, the one thing that I find is feeling lost and trying to find your way.