"Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?"
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Quote collection
Patti Smith quotes (page 9 of 23)
456 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"I don't like answering to other people's philosophies. I don't have any philosophy, I just believe in stuff. Either I believe in something or I don't. Like, I believe in the Rolling Stones but not in the Dave Clark Five. There's nothing philosophic about it. Whenever I'm linked with a movement, it pisses me off."
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"I would always say to anyone, you make choices that are important to you. Don't allow yourself to be exploited by something as fleeting as fame and fortune. If you're presenting yourself in a way that important to you in communicating your vision, then so be it. No one should allow themselves to be exploited ever."
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"Rock & roll is like a painting. Can great paintings still be done? It depends on who holds the brush."
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"I know I'm a strong performer. I'm not an evolved musician."
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"Ms. It sounds like a sick bumblebee, it sounds frigid. I mean, who the hell would ever want to stick his hand up the dress of somebody who goes around calling herself something like Ms.? It's all so stupid."
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"I like my time on earth. And no matter what kind of cards I've been dealt, I'm happy to be there."
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"There's nothing cool about being self-destructive."
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"I think I work in two worlds. I'll always try to kick through a wall. I did that when I was younger and I still have my way of doing that."
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"Should I pursue a path so twisted? Should I crawl defeated and gifted?"
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"People came at me with all sorts of offers, wanting to make me into a hard-core Cher. I had no desire for any amount of money to be reformed for someone's vision, because in the end, that's what you got: your clay in someone else's hands."
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"I started resenting how much art robs from life. I'd go to a party and I couldn't enjoy myself, even sexually. All I could think was how I was going to reinvent the experience into a piece of art."
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"Steven [Sebring] was documenting me as a widow with two children, going from 50 to 60 years old. My focus, during that time, was to rediscover myself, stay healthy, take care of my kids and reestablish a relationship with the people."
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"I think some of that hopelessness of my generation got passed on to later generations - the sense of uselessness."
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"I have abandoned so many projects but in the '80s when I left public life to be married and have real children - I love my children and I would never sacrifice them for anything - I had to find a way to simultaneously be a mother and wife and fulfill my duties and still be true to myself as a writer."
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"I'm estranged from social media and I don't really deal with it. I tried to work on a website and it took up all my time. People wanted me to have a Twitter account and I spent the whole day figuring out what would be the first message. I still haven't wrapped my head around it."
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"Technology is 50% of rock 'n' roll - the magic, the art, the performance. If you don't have good technicians and a strong road crew who are devoted and believe in you and protect you, you're totally naked."
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"Your soul was like a network of spittle."
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"I think it's important for people to realize that we were all young, all naive, and also we had lived in a time that had magic."
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"Americans just don't know what being a movie star's all about."
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