Quotes By Patti Smith

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

I've written a lot of prose. I just haven't published it.

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.

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.

Then I read Little Women, and of course, like a lot of really young girls, I was very taken with Jo - Jo being the writer and the misfit.

Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.

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.

I'm not saying I wasn't flawed or amateurish. But you can never say I did anything to appease the music business.

I never thought I was gonna live to 30.

I have a daughter who's 11 years old. Maybe she'll grow up independent and really really heavy and become a movie star and she'll play me in my life story.

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

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.

I came into music because I thought the presentation of poetry wasn't vibrant enough. So I merged improvised poetry with basic rock chords.

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.

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.

I've always thrived on the encouragement of others.

Everyone thinks of God as a man - you can't help it - Santa Claus was a man, therefore God has to be a man.

What I say should always be prefaced with this: I'm not really politically articulate. I just try to be like Thomas Paine: what is common sense? So when I say these things to you, I am speaking from a humanist point of view. I just look around and see what's wrong.

I've always believed in having a sense of balance and stealth.

I'm a worker. I do the work to communicate, and I want people to embrace it, and when they do I'm happy.

Let's just say that I think any person who aspires, presumes, or feels the calling to be an artist has a built-in sense of duty.

I wanted to go to Portland because it's a really good book town.

The issue of gender was never my biggest concern; my biggest concern was doing good work. When the feminist movement really got going, I wasn't an active part of it because I was more concerned with my own mental pursuits.

An artist may have burdens the ordinary citizen doesn't know, but the ordinary citizen has burdens that many artists never even touch.

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