Patti Smith Quotes

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Patti Smith

Profession : Musician

Birth : December 30, 1946

Grief starts to become indulgent, and it doesn't serve anyone, and it's painful. But if you transform it into remembrance, then you're magnifying the person you lost and also giving something of that person to other people, so they can experience something of that person.

Patti Smith

I'm a human being, I'm a friend, I'm a mom, I'm a writer, and I'm an artist. I do play electric guitar and all of that, but in the end, I'm just a person.

Patti Smith

I have great respect for my parents. I got such beautiful things from both of them. It doesn't mean that we didn't have our rough times, but they were remarkable people who were open-minded, creative and hard-working, and had great senses of humor.

Patti Smith

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.

Patti Smith

If you feel good about who you are inside, it will radiate.

Patti Smith

The idea of redemption is always good news, even if it means sacrifice or some difficult times.

Patti Smith

Some of us are born rebellious. Like Jean Genet or Arthur Rimbaud, I roam these mean streets like a villain, a vagabond, an outcast, scavenging for the scraps that may perchance plummet off humanity's dirty plates, though often sometimes taking a cab to a restaurant is more convenient.

Patti Smith

In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.

Patti Smith

Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.

Patti Smith

My style says, 'Look at me, don't look at me.'

Patti Smith

The Bible is very resonant. It has everything: creation, betrayal, lust, poetry, prophecy, sacrifice. All great things are in the Bible, and all great writers have drawn from it and more than people realise, whether Shakespeare, Herman Melville or Bob Dylan.

Patti Smith

As far as I'm concerned, being any gender is a drag.

Patti Smith

New York is a great city. There is no question of that. It's such a diverse city. I've walked down the city and heard four or five different languages simultaneously. I think that's beautiful.

Patti Smith

An artist wears his work in place of wounds.

Patti Smith

In the period where I had to live the life of a citizen - a life where, like everybody else, I did tons of laundry and cleaned toilet bowls, changed hundreds of diapers and nursed children - I learned a lot.

Patti Smith

I never thought I was gonna live to 30.

Patti Smith

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

Patti Smith

If I've learned one thing in life, it's not to be so judgmental of other people.

Patti Smith

I want to be around a really long time. I want to be a thorn in the side of everything as long as possible.

Patti Smith

Artists, musicians, scientists - if you have any kind of visionary aptitude, it's often something that you don't have a choice in. You have to do it.

Patti Smith