870 Quotes by Patti Smith

I revisit my book piles. Trying not to be sidetracked or lured into another dimension.

My father hated rock and roll – hated it. My first real argument with my father was over the Rolling Stones. And he never, ever liked rock and roll. He just liked me.

My father came a couple of times, but he always blamed his hearing loss on my loud amplifiers. So he didn’t come anymore, but I had his support.

I craved honesty, yet found dishonesty in myself. Why commit to art? For self-realization, or for itself? It seemed indulgent to add to the glut unless one offered illumination.

Good press, bad press, whatever, only means a lot to me if it’s writ by somebody I respect, by somebody I like.

When I was a kid, I loved Sherlock Holmes. I’m not interested in crimes. I’m interested in the mind of the detective and his process, which to me is a lot like the artist.

You don’t see things like that. You feel them, as in all important things; they arrive, they come into your dreams.

The thing I’ve always liked about performing is that I decide what I want to wear, whether I want to comb my hair.

Both of them were ahead of their time, but they didn’t live long enough to see the time they were ahead of.