“The drummer’s always going to be there. They’re the floor of the whole deal and everyone can stand up on you.”

Do you remember when everyone began analyzing Beatles songs. I don’t think I ever understood what some of them were supposed to be about

Gene Autry was the most. It may sound like a joke – Go and have a look in my bedroom, It’s covered with Gene Autry posters. He was my first musical influence.

I love being in a band. I love playing with other human beings. I’ve never practiced drums unless there was another human being in the room.

I want to deal with what’s in front of me now to the best of my abilities, and sometimes that’s not very good. But a lot of the days it is really great.

I used to wear different rings when I first got called Ringo in about 19, about, umm, ’59 I got called Ringo.

Peace and love, peace and love!

We will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music and his sense of laughter.

Fondest memory of being a Beatle: Having three brothers.

Being in The Beatles was a short, incredible period of my life. I had 22 years leading up to it, and it was all over eight years later.

I’d like to be in a man band, but with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Keith Richards. We’d have a rocky edge.

Of course I’m ambitious. What’s wrong with that? Otherwise you sleep all day.

I’ve said this over and over again, but I love being in a band.

I’m not sleeping with all the women I appear with.

I’ve never really done anything to create what has happened. It creates itself. I’m here because it happened. But I didn’t do anything to make it happen apart from saying ‘Yes’

Beatles, women and children first!

My soul is that of a drummer. I didn’t do it to become rich and famous. I did it because it was the love of my life.