Billy Joel Quotes - Page 2

People pay a lot of money to go see shows now, they don't wanna know about your technical problems, or if you're not feeling good, they don't wanna know we have a glitch. It's their night, you better do something to earn that money.

'Our parents' generation had it a lot tougher than we did. They had to live through the Depression, World War II, and then they had to, you know, try to pick up the pieces of their lives and bring up their children. And, it was a great example for us. I guess we grew up with a certain amount of the ethics our parents had, which is, you know: work hard, make your own way, be independent.

We're only human, we're supposed to make mistakes.

I consider myself to be an inept pianist, a bad singer, and a merely competent songwriter. What I do, in my opinion, is by no means extraordinary.

Say goodbye to the oldies, but goodies, because the good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

The joy of life is made up of obscure and seemingly mundane victories that give us our own small satisfactions.

I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.

Don't be afraid to try again everyone goes south every now and then.

You can speak your mind But not on my time.

There's nothing better than good sex. But bad sex? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is better than bad sex.

Videos destroyed the vitality of rock and roll. Before that, music said, "Listen to me." Now it says, "Look at me."

It's OK if you mess up. You should give yourself a break.

I didn't graduate high school, so I never got a teacher's education, I'm mostly self-read, self-taught. I always loved music, so I would probably either be in a band with another group of people, or an arranger, a producer, a musicologist, a music history guy, something to do with music. Either that, or I would probably be in jail. Or dead.

I started taking piano lessons when I was about four years old. My parents were both musicians. So I took piano lessons. I didn't like the lessons very much, but I was enchanted by music. Music always transported me somewhere. Singing made feel good and being able to play the piano made me feel good.

Advice is cheap; you can take it from me.

I've reached the age where competence is a turn-on.

Most people you'd tell "I'm gonna be a musician," they'd say, "you're crazy, you're gonna starve, you're gonna be poor, a drug addict, go to jail, you'll never make it, there's too much competition, it's a terrible business," etc. But my chorus teacher in high school said, "you've got what it takes to be a really good professional musician, you should consider it." That was an epiphany for me. So I thought, well, maybe I can help somebody, too.

They say there's a heaven for those who wait, some say it's better I say it ain't.

There are people who have lost every trace of human kindness.

You've got to be hard, like the rock in that old rock & roll.

Following a code of silence, you're never gonna lose the anger.

In an age of incompetence, I've been able to last in this crazy business. I actually know how to play my ax and write a song. That's my job.

Hot funk, cold punk, even if it's old junk, it's still rock and roll to me.

you may be right, I may be crazy, but it just might be a lunatic you're looking for

I believe that all important matters have to be settled here, not in the clouds somewhere after we kick off.