“I never think any place is better than others.”

The United States is a melting pot. Like John F. Kennedy said, it’s a nation of immigrants. But Donald Trump wants to build a fence that clearly makes the statement: “You and I are divided.

Imagine one day, the hateful world around you collapses. And it is your attitude, words and actions that put an end to it. Will you be excited?

The so-called culture nowadays is only a fake one with a superficial front. It is an empty lie.

I have people working together, doing different things: architecture, art installation, photography, publishing, and curatorial works and design.

Maybe [success] is because I’m in China and I’m more open. Maybe it’s my independent behavior, or because I participated in certain projects. I have no idea.

As a person, I was born to give out my opinions. By giving out my opinions, I realize who I am.

I was an illegal alien for many, many years. I couldn’t move. If I moved I could not even get a visa back.

We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. It’s very materialistic. It’s full of desire and luxury goods.

I never had secure, belonging feelings with this society [in China].

[Therefore] holding a trial outside the court. I think that is fairness, that is justice, that is a civil society. Otherwise call it an evil society because everything is hidden.

Liberty is about our rights to question everything.

The society was so different [in China] – it was a feudalistic society. It didn’t come to a point of industrial revolution until twenty years ago.

China restricts the society’s freedom of speech. The Communist Party imposes these limits because it lacks confidence towards the future and has no ideals.

I think by shattering it we can create a new form, a new way to look at what is valuable – how we decide what is valuable.

The museums used to be exhibition halls for government propaganda, and now every city wants to build a museum.

The people will always have the last word – even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper.

I don’t think we are. I think we’re responsible for stretching them, setting them off in new directions, and keeping fun in the house.

And the thing that I always tried to do with important singers when I met them was to sit down and record everything they knew, give them a first real run-through of their art.

I think e-mail is representative of our fast food mentality in the United States, where everything has gotten faster and faster, and we’re required to respond to inputs more quickly with less time for thought and reflection.

You think a lot of people get to be big stars and get a little crazy.

It is a question of how I marry them up to try to get the players around to my way of thinking.

I think the Internet has a way of coaching you into this state of mind where you think that every step you make needs to completely supersede the last.

I think I’ve always approached making albums pretty much the same way.

The older you are, I think you realize what you enjoy and what you don’t need, what wears you out and what’s important.