“You’ve got to learn to live with what you can’t rise above.”

You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that’s what the past is for. It’s to learn from. It’s not to limit you, you shouldn’t be limited by it.

Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun. Oh, but mama, that’s where the fun is.

Every fool has a reason for feeling sorry for himself.

Getting an audience is hard. Sustaining an audience is hard. It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time.

I guess there’s just a meanness in this world.

The first time I heard Bob Dylan, I was in the car with my mother listening to WMCA, and on came that snare shot that sounded like somebody’d kicked open the door to your mind.

I’m the kind of person, I think a lot about everything. Nothin’ I can do about it. It’s like, I’m a thinkin’ fool. That’s a big part of me.

It’s not the time in your life, it’s the life in your time.

We’re gonna play some pool, skip some school, act real cool, stay out all night, it’s gonna be alright.

I believe when your children are born that you are reborn in some fashion.

Talk about a dream, try to make it real.

Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.

It’s a town full of losers And I’m pulling out of here to win.

I think life goes through a cycle of losing and refinding yourself all the time. Everyone has disappointments all the time, some of them pretty small, some of them pretty big.

Somehow all you ever need’s never really quite enough.

If you have written really well, people will swear that it happened to you.

Sometimes you have to learn to love what’s good for you.

I’ve learned that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I’ve learned that under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

Someone told me that you could learn to sing, and that there are muscles that if you build, you will sing.

I’ve learned, That life is tough, but I’m tougher.

I’ve learned, That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I was bullied by a few people who were much older than me. I went to camp to learn boxing. I was 12, and my coach was 24. I felt like if I could fight him, I could stand up to anyone.

Being sporty at heart, I’ve wanted to learn football since I was a child. But I never got the chance because, growing up, my family didn’t have the finances for extra-curricular activities.