Patti Smith

“A writer, or any artist, can’t expect to be embraced by the people. I don’t expect to be embraced. I’m just glad I get to do it.”

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

“Make your interactions with people transformational, not transactional.”

“Art is the highest form of hope.”

“To be an artist is to believe in life.”

“I think everything is possible. And I think that is a revolutionary thing to think.”

“Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.”

“I am going to get a cup of coffee and a piece of bread and read the book of my life.”

“We go through life. We shed our skins. We become ourselves.”

“Where does it all lead? What will become of us? These were our young questions, and young answers were revealed. It leads to each other. We become ourselves.”

“I'm an artist and I need to be free to explore all the corners of my heart. There are no boundaries.”

“My mission is to communicate, to wake people up, to give them my energy and accept theirs. We're all in it together.”

“The artist is the servant. I am the servant of the people. I am the servant of my vision.”

“I don't fuck much with the past, but I fuck plenty with the future.”

“For me, art is a continuous discovery into reality.”

“Rock and roll is a conscience. It's a vehicle for social change.”

“I'm just a person. I'm not a rock star. I'm a worker.”

“When I'm writing, I'm waiting for the word. When I'm performing, I'm waiting for the note.”

“To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to not be successful, freedom to be who you are. It's freedom.”

“Life is an adventure of our own design, intersected by fate and a series of choices.”