Quotes By Patti Smith

To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to not be successful, freedom to be who you are. It's freedom.

I never felt oppressed because of my gender. When I'm writing a poem or drawing, I'm not a female; I'm an artist.

An artist is somebody who enters into competition with God.

First of all, anybody who has lasted 30 and went through the 60's is really a survivor.

I always enjoyed doing transgender songs.

I am not really certain how original my contribution to music is as I am obviously an amateur.

We tried not to age, but time had its rage.

Maybe I'll be 48 and die in the gutter in Paris.

I dreamed of having a book of my own, of writing one that I could put on a shelf.

I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.

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.

All I've ever wanted, since I was a child, was to do something wonderful.

Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.

My father's mother was from Liverpool and she had this very beautiful English china. I only wanted to drink my cocoa out of my grandmother's cup and saucer.

When I was younger, I felt it was my duty to wake people up. I thought poetry was asleep. I thought rock 'n' roll was asleep.

From very early on in my childhood - four, five years old - I felt alien to the human race. I felt very comfortable with thinking I was from another planet, because I felt disconnected - I was very tall and skinny, and I didn't look like anybody else, I didn't even look like any member of my family.

People called me the godmother of punk, but I never name myself anything.

No, my work does not reflect my sexual preferences, it reflects the fact that I feel total freedom as an artist.

C'mon, I mean who didn't listen to 'The Who' in the 60s?

I never thought I was gonna live to 30.

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.

My sunglasses are like my guitar.

Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine.

The new artists coming through were very materialistic and Hollywood, not so engaged in communication.

Those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand.

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.

I've always thrived on the encouragement of others.

In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.

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.

Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the handwriting and then the look of the handwriting.