72 Quotes by Natalie Merchant

It’s really wonderful to be able to be nobody, and then have a moment when I can be somebody, and then go right back to being nobody again.

I would say I’d rather dig a ditch, you know, do hard, manual labor than write lyrics.

I think of myself as a musician and not a celebrity. Celebrity status is something you have to deliberately pursue – I couldn’t imagine myself seeking that.

Literature gives us a window into other people’s experiences in other places, in other times, so I thought it would be really interesting to investigate how different people had written about motherhood, and childhood.

My mother was a single working mother; she started having children very young. There was a tension inside her about who she wanted to be and what she wanted to do and how she couldn’t achieve the things she wanted to.

I wish I had appreciated my youth – I should have worn tighter clothing when I could have!

It’s funny, I remember doing the Johnny Carson show, and, uh, I couldn’t afford my rent.

I’ve had a large gay following for many years and have been quite aware of that.

I don’t have a lot of thrilling anecdotes about my career or personal life. All the stuff that is interesting is private and I wouldn’t want people to know.