Paul Simon Quotes - Page 2

People talking without speaking,/ People listening without hearing...Sounds of Silence.

In the clearing stands the boxer, and a fighter by his trade. And he carries a reminder of every glove that laid him down... or cut him till he cried out in his anger and his shame "I am leaving! I am leaving" but the fighter still remains.

I don't know what I'm going to write when I begin to write. It feels like you are walking down a path, but you can't see around the bend and you don't know where you are going to go, which is fun.

When I first heard Elvis perform "Bridge Over Trouble Water" it was unbelivable,and I thought to myself, how the hell can I compete with that?

People often called us perfectionists, but we were not looking for perfection. We were looking for some kind of magic in the music.

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

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

Just slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan, you don't need to be coy, Roy, just get yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus, you don't need to discuss much, just drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free.

...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.

And so you see I have come to doubt -All that I once held as true ~ I stand alone without beliefs -The only truth I know is you

Somewhere in a burst of glory / Sound becomes a song.

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.

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.

People ask how I feel about getting old. I tell them I have the same question. I'm learning as I go.

I want to rid my heart of envy, and cleanse my soul of rage before I'm through.

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

So I'll continue to continue to pretend my life will never end, and flowers never bend with the rainfall.

By the time I was 12 or 13, I felt that I was special, because I could play the guitar and write songs.

Breakdowns come, and breakdowns go.

I regret the ending of our friendship and hope one day before we die, we'll make peace with each other . . . No rush.

I'm going to Graceland, for reasons I cannot explain. There's some part of me wants to see Graceland. And I may be advised to defend every love, every ending, or maybe there's no obligations now. Maybe I've a reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland.

If you'll be my body guard, I can be your long lost pal.

A songwriter's supreme challenge is being complex and simple at the same time

Instead of thinking in terms of chords, I think of voice-leading; that is, melody line and bass line, and where the bass line goes. If you do that, you'll have the right chord. [These voices] will give you some alternatives, and you can play those different alternatives to hear which one suits your ear. Keep the bass line moving so you don't stay in one spot: if you have an interesting bass line and you roll it against the melody, the chords are going to come out right.

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.