Ric Ocasek Quotes

When you become tired of fitting in, is when you truly become yourself

Refusing to ask for help when you need it is refusing someone the chance to be helpful.

There's more to light than the opposite of dark.

The best thing you can do for a song is to hear it on the radio and to imagine what it could mean to you and then kinda forget the words. Just imagine how you felt when you heard it, if it was one of your songs. If it became one of your songs. If it meant whatever it meant for you and as soon as you see the visual, you get a rapid eye movement relationship with the song instead of an imaginative one. I think that can be dangerous because I don't think I'd want to be listening to a song on the radio and thinking about the video. Whatever that one interpretation was

Secrecy is the enemy of efficiency, but don't let anyone know it.

The most important thing to a lot of people, is to belong to something that's hip or whatever. To be a part of something that's not society, just a clique. And they get real sidetracked trying to think like everyone else. They don't realize that you have to motivate yourself to do things you want to do. Some people just like going along for the ride. And those are the kind of people I don't get along with too well.

You almost have to force yourself to stay in a vacuum to become different - if you really want to be different.

I love walking down the street and seeing faces and drama and happiness and sadness and dirt and cleanliness.

I could never be a country person, sitting around trees trying to write a song. I would rather be in the middle of society, whether it's growing or crumbling.

Never mind a world that can't see past brutality.

If you want to talk about it, I got the time When you're looking so enchanted, you cover my mind If you think I'll wait forever, maybe you're right There's no such thing as now or never, there's only twilight

I think bands, when they're on the road, they keep their sanity by developing an internal sense of humor.

I've been in a band, so I understand the politics. Sometimes the bass player doesn't like what the guitar player is doing, and you have to sort of even that out. But I've also always loved the technology part of it. I've always loved the studio part. Making albums. Besides writing songs, which has been my primary thing, making records would be second. Obviously, touring would be third. Touring wasn't my favorite thing to do, but the first few tours were pretty fun. Seeing the world and everything.

Once they're on paper, they're gone. I like to do as much with the words, as far as image goes, so that it's really left open for a lot of things, even though I remember a specific impression of something I had at the time. I can't say a song is about this or that; in fact, I wouldn't even want to. I just prefer to have people live it anyway they want. Because it's theirs after that. There's nothing I can do about it anymore

Oh oh it's magic, when I'm with you, oh oh it's magic, you know it's true, got a hold on you.

People are strange. We're all morticians. Hey, what's on TV?

They're caught where there's no way out or where you can't see out. What are you going to do about it? I don't have the answer. If I did there would be no insane asylums. But I see a lot of people, a lot of my friends in the same predicament. Many times in my life, I was there myself.

Your high points and your low points. High points don't last that long, it's a high and it happens. It's great at the moment but you really can't live on it.

Sometimes you want to run away Sometimes you think you do But you never had a dream like this before And you don't want to ask for more Sometimes you leave a mark Before you know the score

I think I understand what bands want, just from having made records myself. I understand what it takes to get a good vocal sound, or to make people comfortable in the studio. From minor things like their headphone mix - and if a singer's singing, how they should hear themselves - to how to make people feel that they're getting exactly what they want. All those things, I think, are an advantage, especially the part about having done it myself. I'm not just an engineer who records the sounds well. I'm not afraid to take chances.

Once they're on paper, they're gone. I like to do as much with the words, as far as image goes.

The most important thing to a lot of people, is to belong to something that's hip or whatever. To be a part of something that's not society, just a clique.

If I would have been in a different world Like I frequently am when I see you Oh I might have missed All the ways you try to give If only you knew what you do to me Sometimes I think about eternity If it would have been another time I wonder what you would of had in mind

Never mind a world That can't see past brutality Answers are getting the gas Live gestures Have constantly been used As weapons