Quotes By James Taylor

I believe musicians have a duty, a responsibility to reach out, to share your love or pain with others.

When I cleaned up some 17 odd years ago, I felt terrible for about six months. The only thing that gave me any real relief was strenuous physical activity.

Ireland, Italy and Brazil are the most musical places for me. They're extremely musical cultures and anything you pitch they basically catch.

If I were to try to identify a turning point I'd say that was it - getting clean.

Once you get that two-way energy thing going, everyone benefits hugely.

Music is like a huge release of tension.

People should watch out for three things: avoid a major addiction, don't get so deeply into debt that it controls your life, and don't start a family before you're ready to settle down.

Americans work a long away ahead of themselves because of the size of the place. To make any impact at all you have to promote yourself with live performances ages before a release.

Things started to get out of control when I began reading that I was a superstar.

I don't think anyone really says anything new.

I tend to write out the first iteration of a lyric here and then go over here and make variations on it, on the page opposite.

It is the most delightful thing that ever happens to me, when I hear something coming out of my guitar and out of my mouth that wasn't there before.

People have used my songs and guitar style to teach guitar for a long time.

I believe 100 percent in the power and importance of music.

It's a real wrenching thing to go from being a private person to being a public person, especially when you're being autobiographical. But it's what everyone wants - to get everyone's attention, to have your music make a living for you, to be validated in that way.

What I've always done as an entertainer is try to come up with things that people will find interesting, or compelling, or humorous.

I don't take compliments very easily. I think most musicians suffer from low self-esteem to some extent.

I know there are people who don't like their audience or like the experience of being recognized or celebrated, but my audience has been very good - they don't bother me and when they do contact me it's usually on the nicest possible terms.

If you feel like singing along, don't.

It's probably foolish to expect relationships to go on forever and to say that because something only lasts 10 years, it's a failure.

I don't get into heavy political numbers because I don't find them lyrical.

I find it a lot healthier for me to be someplace where I can go outside in my bare feet.

If you're an addict, it controls your life and your life becomes uncontrollable. It's boring and painful, filling your system with something that makes you stare at your shoes for six hours.

If you think my music is sentimental and self-absorbed, I agree with you.

Sobering up was responsible for breaking up my marriage. That's what it couldn't stand.

You have to choose whether to love yourself or not.

I think it surprises a lot of people that I'm still around, you know, still - that I'm not pushing up daisies, as they say.

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.

There'll come a writing phase where you have to defend the time, unplug the phone and put in the hours to get it done.

Certain things in life are more important than the usual crap that everyone strives for.