Patti Smith quotes - page 7

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. (Patti Smith)
Nothing is a hobby - each discipline is its own world with its own high standards. Of course, every artist has 'minor works' that they do, but I don't think I have any 'minor disciplines.' View quote
Patti Smith
In 1974, when I started working with the material that became Horses, a lot of our great voices had died. We'd lost Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin, and people like Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. View quote
Patti Smith
Usually when I go to a place for the first time, unless there's something historical or spectacular that nature has to offer, the first thing I like to do is see what's on the minds of the people. View quote
Patti Smith
Since I was a child, I hated having to deal with my hair. I hated having to change my clothes. As a kid, I had a sailor shirt and the same old corduroy pants, and that's what I wanted to wear everyday. View quote
Patti Smith
I don't think the Palestinian people or Afghan children or some other things I'm concerned about are at the top of other people's agendas - not right now, when America is going through such a recession and people are suffering across the board financially. But I think all that will change. View quote
Patti Smith
As an artist, I used to think that my responsibility was to do good work. But I had to learn from the 70s on that being a public figure presents another aspect of responsibility. View quote
Patti Smith
A lot of children don't have a developed aesthetic. I did. I made early choices in life, even about cloth; I liked flannel and not polyester. View quote
Patti Smith
Why do people want to know exactly who I am? Am I a poet? Am I this or that? I've always made people wary. First they called me a rock poet. Then I was a poet that dabbled in rock. Then I was a rock person who dabbled in art. View quote
Patti Smith
When I was young, I knew William Burroughs really well. And William's secret desire, which he never quite did, was to write a straightforward detective novel. View quote
Patti Smith
I wrote every day. I don't think I could have written Just Kids had I not spent all of the 80s developing my craft as a writer. (Patti Smith)
I'm an intuitive musician. I have no real technical skills. I can only play six chords on the guitar. View quote
Patti Smith
I'm not really a nostalgic person. View quote
Patti Smith
I've lost lots of men in my life, besides my mother, which is a whole different loss. View quote
Patti Smith
I don't think the area of Jerusalem should be part of a Jewish state; it belongs to all people, to Christians and Muslims and the Jewish people. View quote
Patti Smith
It's not that I have compromised or anything, but it's always been important to me to take good care of myself and be a good example. I'm not much a role model in terms of hair care, though. View quote
Patti Smith
I have great respect for my parents. I got such beautiful things from both of them. It doesn't mean that we didn't have our rough times, but they were remarkable people who were open-minded, creative and hard-working, and had great senses of humor. View quote
Patti Smith
My mother and father had so many ups and downs and stayed with each other and helped each other. My mother took in ironing and she was a waitress. My father was working in the factory and he did people's tax returns. View quote
Patti Smith
Sure I destroyed my guitar at every concert, but it was okay, because I'd always get a shiny new one the very next day. View quote
Patti Smith
The thing I've always liked about performing is that I decide what I want to wear, whether I want to comb my hair. View quote
Patti Smith
I didn't know Kurt Cobain or Amy Winehouse, but I was affected by both of their deaths because I admired their work so much and mourned their youth and work they would never produce. (Patti Smith)