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John Lennon

John Lennon Quotes

Musician

John Lennon, born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, and died on December 8, 1980. He was a founding member of the iconic rock band The Beatles, known for his unique musical talent and his advocacy for peace and anti-war ideas.

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All People Inspirational Ifs Music Knows Life Love Thinking Want Believe

Famous John Lennon Quotes

“Most of the songs came from Europe and Africa and now they were coming back to us. Many of [Bob] Dylan's best songs came from Scotland, Ireland or England. It was a sort of cultural exchange.”

Song Europe England Ireland Bob Scotland Coming Back Dylan Cultural Exchange

Author:John Lennon

“I must say the more interesting songs to me were the black ones because they were more simple.”

Song Black Simple Interesting

Author:John Lennon

“Before many black singers were still labouring under that problem of God; it was often 'God will save us'. But right through the blacks were singing directly and immediately about their pain and also about sex, which is why I like it.”

Stills Problem Pain Sex Black Singing Singers Gods Will

Author:John Lennon

“There were very few real folk singers you know, though I liked Dominic Behan a bit and there was some good stuff to be heard in Liverpool. Just occasionally you hear very old records on the radio or TV of real workers in Ireland or somewhere singing these songs and the power of them is fantastic.”

Knows Real Song Stuff Bits Records Heard Tvs Singing Workers Folks Radio Singers Fantastic Ireland Liverpool Old Records

Author:John Lennon

“Mostly folk music is people with fruity voices trying to keep alive something old and dead. It's all a bit boring, like ballet: a minority thing kept going by a minority group.”

People Trying Bits Voice Alive Groups Music Is Folks Boring Minorities Ballet Folk Music Minority Groups

Author:John Lennon

“Today's folk song is rock and roll. Although it happened to emanate from America, that's not really important in the end because we wrote our own music and that changed everything.”

Important Ends Today America Song Happened Rocks Changed Folks Rock And Roll Emanate Folk Songs

Author:John Lennon

“I enjoyed it when football crowds in the early days would sing 'All together now' - that was another one. I was also pleased when the movement in America took up 'Give peace a chance' because I had written it with that in mind really.”

Giving Mind Together America Chance Written Movement Football Crowds Enjoyed

Author:John Lennon

“It seems that all revolutions end up with a personality cult - even the Chinese seem to need a father-figure.”

Needs Ends Seems Father Figures Revolution Personality Chinese Cult Father Figure

Author:John Lennon

“In Western-style Communism we would have to create an almost imaginary workers' image of themselves as the father-figure.”

Father Style Figures Western Workers Communism Imaginary Father Figure

Author:John Lennon

“All the revolutions have happened when a Fidel or Marx or Lenin or whatever, who were intellectuals, were able to get through to the workers. They got a good pocket of people together and the workers seemed to understand that they were in a repressed state.”

People States Able Together Happened Revolution Workers Pockets Repressed

Author:John Lennon

“I keep on reading the Morning Star newspaper to see if there's any hope, but it seems to be in the 19th century; it seems to be written for dropped-out, middle-aged liberals.”

Ifs Seems Reading Stars Morning Written Middle Century Newspapers 19th Century Middle Aged

Author:John Lennon

“We should be trying to reach the young workers because that's when you're most idealistic and have least fear.”

Should Trying Young Workers Idealistic

Author:John Lennon

“Somehow the revolutionaries must approach the workers because the workers won't approach them. But it's difficult to know where to start; we've all got a finger in the dam. The problem for me is that as I have become more real, I've grown away from most working-class people.”

People Knows Real Problem Difficult Class Approach Fingers Workers Revolutionary Working Class Dams

Author:John Lennon

“Now The Beatles are four separate people, we don't have the impact we had when we were together.”

People Together Four Impact

Author:John Lennon

“When we came along there was only Decca, Philips and EMI who could really produce a record for you. You had to go through the whole bureaucracy to get into the recording studio. You were in such a humble position, you didn't have more than 12 hours to make a whole album, which is what we did in the early days.”

Whole Hours Records Position Produce Albums Studios Humble Bureaucracy Philip Recording Studio

Author:John Lennon

“If you're an unknown artist you're lucky to get an hour in a studio - it's a hierarchy and if you don't have hits, you don't get recorded again.”

Ifs Artist Hours Lucky Studios Hierarchy

Author:John Lennon

“To begin with, working class people reacted against our openness about sex. They are frightened of nudity, they're repressed in that way as well as others. Perhaps they thought 'Paul [McCartney] is a good lad, he doesn't make trouble'.”

People Way Wells Sex Class Trouble Frightened Openness Working Class Nudity Lad Repressed

Author:John Lennon

“When Yoko [Ono] and I got married, we got terrible racialist letters - you know, warning me that she would slit my throat. Those mainly came from Army people living in Aldershot. Officers.”

People Knows Terrible Married Letters Army Throat Officers Warning Slits

Author:John Lennon

“It seems to me that the students are now half-awake enough to try and wake up their brother workers. If you don't pass on your own awareness then it closes down again.”

Ifs Trying Enough Seems Half Awareness Students Brother Wake Up Workers Awake

Author:John Lennon

“Of course it's difficult to know what the workers are really thinking because the capitalist press always only quotes mouthpieces like Vic Feather anyway.”

Thinking Knows Courses Difficult Presses Workers Capitalist Feathers Mouthpiece

Author:John Lennon

“I'd like to incite people to break the framework, to be disobedient in school, to stick their tongues out, to keep insulting authority.”

People School Break Authority Sticks Tongue Framework Insulting

Author:John Lennon

“The more reality we face, the more we realise that unreality is the main programme of the day. The more real we become, the more abuse we take, so it does radicalise us in a way, like being put in a corner. But it would be better if there were more of us.”

Ifs Way Doe Real Reality Would Be Faces Abuse Corners Realising Programmes Unreality

Author:John Lennon

“After the revolution you have the problem of keeping things going, of sorting out all the different views. It's quite natural that revolutionaries should have different solutions, that they should split into different groups and then reform, that's the dialectic, isn't it - but at the same time they need to be united against the enemy, to solidify a new order.”

Needs Should Different Problem Order Natural United Views Enemy Groups Revolution Solutions Should Have Reform Revolutionary Splits Dialectics Different Views Sorting Sorting Out

Author:John Lennon

“Once the new power has taken over they have to establish a new status quo just to keep the factories and trains running.”

Running Taken Train Factories Status Quo

Author:John Lennon

“I've been reading [Nikita] Khrushchev Remembers. I know he's a bit of a lad himself - but he seemed to think that making a religion out of an individual was bad; that doesn't seem to be part of the basic Communist idea. Still people are people, that's the difficulty.”

People Thinking Knows Stills Ideas Seems Remember Reading Individual Bits Difficulty Communist Lad

Author:John Lennon

“If we took over Britain, then we'd have the job of cleaning up the bourgeoisie and keeping people in a revolutionary state of mind.”

People Ifs Mind States Jobs Revolutionary Britain State Of Mind Cleaning Bourgeoisie Cleaning Up

Author:John Lennon

“You'd have to give people free rein to attack the local councils or to destroy the school authorities, like the students who break up the repression in the universities. It's already happening, though people have got to get together more.”

People Giving School Together Break Students Authority Happenings University Locals Council Repression Get Together Reins

Author:John Lennon

“The women are very important too, we can't have a revolution that doesn't involve and liberate women. It's so subtle the way you're taught male superiority.”

Way Important Taught Revolution Males Subtle Superiority

Author:John Lennon

“It took me quite a long time to realise that my maleness was cutting off certain areas for Yoko [Ono]. She's a red hot liberationistand was quick to show me where I was going wrong, even though it seemed to me that I was just acting naturally. That's why I'm always interested to know how people who claim to be radical treat women.”

People Knows Long Shows Certain Acting Know How Cutting Long Time Red Areas Treats Claims Hot Radical Realising Show Me Cutting Off Red Hot Maleness

Author:John Lennon

“How can you talk about power to the people unless you realise the people is both sexes.”

People Sex Realising

Author:John Lennon

“Yoko [Ono] was well into liberation before I met her. She'd had to fight her way through a man's world - the art world is completely dominated by men - so she was full of revolutionary zeal when we met.”

Men World Way Wells Art Fighting Mets Liberation Revolutionary Zeal Art World

Author:John Lennon

“There was never any question about it: we [with Yoko Ono] had to have a 50-50 relationship or there was no relationship, I was quick to learn.”

Author:John Lennon

“I recently got into Haiku in Japan and I just think it's fantastic. Obviously, when you get rid of a whole section of illusion in your mind you're left with great precision.”

Thinking Mind Whole Left Illusion Fantastic Japan Sections Precision Haiku

Author:John Lennon

“Yoko [Ono] was showing me some of these Haiku in the original. The difference between them and Long fellow is immense. Instead of a long flowery poem the Haiku would say 'Yellow flower in white bowl on wooden table' which gives you the whole picture.”

Giving Long Whole Differences White Flower Originals Fellows Tables Yellow Immense Bowls Haiku Whole Picture Yellow Flower

Author:John Lennon

“We'd also have to infiltrate the army too, because they are well trained to kill us all.”

Author:John Lennon

“I think it's false, shallow, to be giving to others when your own need is great. The idea is not to comfort people, not to make them feel better but to make them feel worse, to constantly put before them the degradations and humiliations they go through to get what they call a living wage.”

People Thinking Needs Giving Feels Ideas Comfort Feel Better Shallow Humiliation Degradation Living Wage Giving To Others

Author:John Lennon

“Don't you think that the Beatles gave every sodden thing they've got to be the Beatles? That took a whole section of our youth - that whole period - when everybody else was just goofin' off we were workin' 24 hours a day!”

Thinking Whole Hours Youth Periods Sections

Author:John Lennon

“I once was the walrus, now I'm John.”

Author:John Lennon

“I don't expect you to understand after you've caused so much pain, but then again-you're not to blame; you're just human-a victim of the insane.”

Humans Pain Victim Blame Insane

Author:John Lennon

“It's Wierd not to be Wierd.”

Author:John Lennon

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

Happens Plans Life Happens

Author:John Lennon

“I can't speak for George, but I pretty damn well know we got fed up of being sidemen for Paul.”

Knows Wells I Can Speak Damn Feds Fed Up

Book:Lennon Remembers

Source: Lennon Remembers

“There is no problem only solutions”

Problem Solutions No Problem

Author:John Lennon

“Paul (McCartney) and I made a deal when we were 15. There was never a legal deal between us, just a deal we made when we decided to write together that we put both our names on it, no matter what.”

Writing Made Matter Together Names Deals Decided No Matter What

Author:John Lennon

“We were really professional by the time we got to the States; we had learned the whole game. When we arrived here we knew how to handle the press; the British press were the toughest in the world and we could handle anything. We were all right.”

World States Whole Games Presses British Handle

Author:John Lennon

“You see, we're influenced by whatever's going. Even if we're not influenced, we're all going that way at a certain time. If we played a Stones record now - and a Beatles record - and we've been way apart, you'd find a lot of similarities. We're all heavy. Just heavy.”

Ifs Way Certain Records Stones Heavy Similarity

Author:John Lennon

“Carrying The Beatles' or the Sixties' dream around all your life is like carrying the Second World War and Glenn Miller around. That's not to say you can't enjoy Glenn Miller or The Beatles, but to live in that dream is the twilight zone. It's not living now. It's an illusion.”

World War Dream Life Is Enjoy Illusion War Of The Worlds Zone Twilight Sixty Life Is Like Second World War Twilight Zone

Book:The Playboy interviews with John Lennon and Yōko Ono

Source: The Playboy interviews with John Lennon and Yōko Ono

“There is not one thing that's Beatle music. How can they talk about it like that? What is Beatle music? Walrus or Penny Lane? Which? It's too diverse: I Want to Hold Your Hand or Revolution Number Nine?”

Want Hands Numbers One Thing Revolution Nine Diverse Pennies Lanes Walrus

Author:John Lennon

“Why should The Beatles give more? Didn't they give everything on God's earth for ten years? Didn't they give themselves?”

Giving Should Years Earth Ten

Book:The Playboy interviews with John Lennon and Yōko Ono

Source: The Playboy interviews with John Lennon and Yōko Ono

“I've got used to the fact - just about - that whatever I do is going to be compared to the other Beatles. If I took up ballet dancing, my ballet dancing would be compared with Paul (McCartney)'s bowling.”

Ifs Facts Would Be Used Dancing Ballet Bowling Ballet Dancing

Author:John Lennon

About the Author

Born: October 9, 1940
Died: December 8, 1980
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 643

Related Topics

People Inspirational Ifs Music Knows Life Love Thinking Want Believe

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Playboy interviews with John Lennon and Yōko OnoRelated source material

Lennon RemembersRelated source material

Lennon On Lennon: Conversations With John LennonRelated source material

The Songs of John Lennon: The Beatles YearsRelated source material

From Liverpool to Abbey Road: A Beginning Guitar Method Featuring 33 Songs of Lennon & MccartneyRelated source material

In His Own WriteRelated source material

Skywriting by word of mouth, and other writings, including The ballad of John and YokoRelated source material

ImagineRelated source material

John Lennon: drawings, performances, filmsRelated source material

Lennon & McCartney Piano Songs for Dummies (Music Instruction)Related source material

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