Quotes By Paul Simon

I don't believe what the papers are saying They're just out to capture my dime, Exaggerating this, exaggerating that.

My whole artistic life has always been about change, change, change, move on, move on. It's the only thing I find interesting.

Why am I so soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?

I don't like fashion. It's very heartless.

Artie is a singer, and I'm a writer and player and a singer. We didn't work together on a creative level and prepare the songs. I did that.

There must be 50 ways to leave your lover.

When I was 15, I made a solo record. It made Artie very unhappy. He looked upon it as something of a betrayal.

It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no importance once it's finished.

Having a track record to live up to and the history of successes had become a hindrance. It becomes harder to break out of what people expect you to do.

I rate each album as better than the last one. That's how I see it.

I lived in an attached house. My father used to drive into the wrong driveway all the time. He'd say, Damn it, how do you tell one of these houses from another?

We were always able to sing and blend well together; that's our gift. But aside from that, we're really two different guys.

Who am I to blow against the wind?

How much can you do with two voices? You can sing thirds or you can sing fifths or you can do a background harmony.

There's something about the sound of a train that's very romantic and nostalgic and hopeful.

We got on American Bandstand, where kids would dance to a record and then rate it. We called ourselves Tom and Jerry. I was Jerry.

My life so common it disappears and sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.

It's a big error to think that because you like somebody's work, you're going to like him.

As long as you have capital punishment there is no guarantee that innocent people won't be put to death.

I'm more interested in what I discover than what I invent.

You want to be a writer, don't know how or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen.

Artie travels all the time. The rehearsals were just miserable. Artie and I fought all the time. He didn't want to do the show with my band; he just wanted me on acoustic guitar.

One of the things that upset me was some of the criticism leveled at Simon and Garfunkel. I always took exception to it, but actually I agree with a lot of it.

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.

I think I have a superior brain and an inferior stature, if you really want to get brutal about it.

If you can get humor and seriousness at the same time, you've created a special little thing, and that's what I'm looking for, because if you get pompous, you lose everything.

Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo.

When I began making my own albums, the songs became funkier. They were more about the streets.

Mrs. Robinson is a little dated now, but it has nothing to do with Joe DiMaggio.

I always get very calm with baseball.