Quotes by Patti Smith

“Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.”

“Jesus died for somebodys sins, but not mine - My sins are my own, they belong to me”

“As far as Im concerned, being any gender is a drag.”

“People have the power to redeem the work of fools.”

“Those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand.”

“Rock n roll is dream soup, whats your brand?”

“I absolutely remember where I was when I first heard it. It got me through adolescence.”

“Rock Hard.”

“Glitter In Their Eyes,”

Freedom is...the right to write the wrong words.

Make your interactions with people transformational, not just transactional.

...the law of empathy, by which he could, by his will, transfer himself into an object or a work of art, and thus inflence the outer world. He did not feel redeemed by the work he did. He did not seek redemption. He sought to see what others did not, the projection of his imagination.

In the war of magic and religion, is magic ultimately the victor? Perhaps priest and magician were once one, but the priest, learning humility in the face of God, discarded the spell for prayer.

He wasnt supposed to die, he cried out, somewhat desperately, petulantly, like a spoiled child. But I could hear other thoughts racing between us.Neither are you.Neither am I.

Everything comes down so pasteurizedeverything comes down 16 degreesthey say your amplifier is too loudturn your amplifier downare we high all alone on our kneesmemory is just hips that swinglike a clockthe past projects fantastic scenestic/toc tic/toc tic/tocfuck the clock!

We were as Hansel and Gretel and we ventured out into the black forest of the world.

Why cant I write something that would awake the dead? That pursuit is what burns most deeply.

A writer or any artist can’t expect to be embraced by the people. Ive done records where it seemed like no one listened to them. You write poetry books that maybe 50 people read. And you just keep doing your work because you have to, because it’s your calling.But it’s beautiful to be embraced by the people.Some people have said to me, “Well, don’t you think that kind of success spoils one as an artist? If you’re a punk rocker, you don’t want to have a hit record…”And I say to them, “Fuck you!” One does their work for the people. And the more people you can touch, the more wonderful it is. You don’t do your work and say, “I only want the cool people to read it.” You want everyone to be transported, or hopefully inspired by it.When I was really young, William Burroughs told me, “Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’t make compromises. Don’t worry about making a bunch of money or being successful. Be concerned with doing good work. And make the right choices and protect your work. And if you can build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.

I refuse to believe that Hendrix had the last possessed hand,that Joplin had the last drunken throat,that Morrison had the last enlightened mind.

Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please dont abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the