Inspirational Sayings

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.

Music is no different from opium. Music affects the human mind in a way that makes people think of nothing but music and sensual matters.

The idea of a well-ordered society is an ideal that we should strive for, even if we can never fully achieve it.

In societies where men are truly confident of their own worth, women are not merely tolerated but valued.

I am the closest possible thing to James Bond that exists outside of fantasy.

The greatest humbug of all is the man who believes—or pretends to believe—that everything and everybody are humbugs.

Writing is the disappearance of the subject.

The Internet has the potential to transform the public sphere, but also to fragment it.

Anyone who believes in magic is a fool.

I can’t believe how much time people waste on things that don’t matter.

I'm writing for black people, in the same way that Tolstoy was writing for Russians, not for a little white island in the Caribbean.

I’m not a writer who writes. I’m a writer who reads.

The world is too complex, too interconnected, for any nation to imagine it can isolate itself and remain unaffected.

I started out writing songs for myself. I didn't care if anyone else liked them or not. I still don't.

I find it easier to be as surreal as possible.

I don't mind not being famous. I'm not a big fan of fame. I'm a big fan of music, and I'm a big fan of art. I'm a big fan of creativity.

I'm a performer. I'm not a singer. I'm a performer.

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone's shadow; if I fail, or if I succeed, at least I did as I believe.

I'm a very creative person. I'm a very imaginative person. I'm a very artistic person.

I'm a rebel. I'm a provocateur. I'm an artist.