John Lennon — "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to l…"
When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.
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English singer-songwriter, founding Beatle, and peace activist whose 'Imagine' (1971) became a 20th-century anti-war anthem; assassinated in NYC December 8, 1980.
Closely associated with
Paul McCartney (Beatles songwriting partner and lifelong foil) and George Harrison (fellow Beatle).
For an intellectual contrast, see
Richard Nixon, 37th US President — Nixon's 1972-73 administration tried to deport Lennon for his anti-Vietnam-War activism; declassified FBI files later confirmed the political motivation behind the immigration case. The canonical example of state retaliation against a celebrity activist.
Details
Widely attributed quote, possibly apocryphal or embellished