450 Quotes by Tom Waits

All the donuts have names that sound like prostitutes

I don't like listening to records a lot after they're done. There's just no real nourishment there for me.

They have removed the struggle to find anything. And therefore there is no genuine sense of discovery. Struggle is the first thing we know getting along the birth canal, out in the world. It's pretty basic. Book store owners and record store owners used to be oracles, in that way; you'd go in this dusty old place and they might point you toward something that would change your life. All that's gone.

I'm not fighting for justice. I am not fighting for freedom. I am fighting for my life and another day in the world here.

My first big gig was an opening show for Frank Zappa, and I think that was difficult.

Most people don't care if you're telling them the truth or if you're telling them a lie, as long as they're entertained by it.

A mental midget with the IQ of a fence post.

I always thought songs are movies for the ears and films are like songs for the eyes.

When you're a kid and you're trying to find your own voice, it's rather daunting to hear somebody like Howlin' Wolf, because you know that you'll never achieve that.