Quotes By Paul Simon

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.

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

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

The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains.

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

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

I always get very calm with baseball.

A man sees what he wants to see, And disregards the rest.

Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.

I don't feel any pressure from fans. But I'm always in some kind of state of emotional turmoil. I would not describe myself as happy-go-lucky. That's not to say that I'm not happy.

Faith is an island in the setting sun, But proof is the bottom line for everyone.

I think Bridge Over Troubled Water was a very good song. Artie sang it beautifully. The Boxer was a really nice record. But I don't think I've written any great songs.

Listen to the sound of silence.

Being an artist doesn't mean that you're a good artist. That was the bargain I first made with myself: I'd say, I'm an artist, but I'm not really very good.

I suppose an artist takes the elements of his life and rearranges them and then has them perceived by others as though they were the elements of their lives.

I'm not in it for the money. I like music. I love to write music. I can't imagine myself not playing or singing or writing. It would just drive me crazy if I didn't.

I was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown. There was a dish called Mother and Child Reunion. It's chicken and eggs. And I said, I gotta use that one.

I question what emotion Manilow touches. People are entertained by him. But are they emotionally moved? I don't believe anything that Barry Manilow sings.

Facts can be turned into art if one is artful enough.

We've survived by believing our life is going to get better.

Not every song I write is ecstasy. And it can happen only one time. After that, when you sing the same melody and words, it's pleasure, but you don't get wiped out.

I don't very often think I've done a good job. I don't like the majority of what I do. I shouldn't say I don't like it, but I'm not satisfied with almost everything that I do.

The record company stay out of my way. Whenever the record is finished, they take it.