All lies and jests, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.
— Paul Simon
I don't believe what the papers are saying They're just out to capture my dime, Exaggerating this, exaggerating that.
You want to be a writer, don't know how or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen.
I'm more interested in what I discover than what I invent.
There must be 50 ways to leave your lover.
Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.
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.
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 don't consider myself to be a major talent, so the only solace I can take is to hope I'm growing.
I don't think that Simon and Garfunkel as a live act compares to Simon and Garfunkel as a studio act.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mrs. Robinson is a little dated now, but it has nothing to do with Joe DiMaggio.
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.
There's something about the sound of a train that's very romantic and nostalgic and hopeful.
My whole artistic life has always been about change, change, change, move on, move on. It's the only thing I find interesting.
As long as you have capital punishment there is no guarantee that innocent people won't be put to death.
My life so common it disappears and sometimes even music cannot substitute for tears.
A man sees what he wants to see, And disregards the rest.
Listen to the sound of silence.
Anybody can do bad work, but not everybody does good work.
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.
How much can you do with two voices? You can sing thirds or you can sing fifths or you can do a background harmony.
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.
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.
I rate each album as better than the last one. That's how I see it.
I think I have a superior brain and an inferior stature, if you really want to get brutal about it.
I would be willing to do almost anything to make Art happy. I care about our friendship. The only thing I won't do is change the essence of my work.
It's a big error to think that because you like somebody's work, you're going to like him.
My voice is my improvisational instrument, the melody instrument. The guitar is harmonic structure. I'm not a good enough guitarist to improvise on it.
People often called us perfectionists, but we were not looking for perfection. We were looking for some kind of magic in the music.
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.
The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.
The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains.
Faith is an island in the setting sun, But proof is the bottom line for everyone.
Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo.
Who am I to blow against the wind?
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.
Facts can be turned into art if one is artful enough.
I always get very calm with baseball.
I don't like fashion. It's very heartless.
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?
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 try to open up my heart as much as I can and keep a real keen eye out that I don't get sentimental. I think we're all afraid to reveal our hearts. It's not at all in fashion.
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.
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.
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.
The record company stay out of my way. Whenever the record is finished, they take it.
