Quotessence
Home / Authors / Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen Quotes

Singer-songwriter

Filter quotes by topic

AllIfsKnowsPeopleSongThinkingMenHeartKindWantPoetryWritingWayWellsFeelsLightLoveLittlesNightBodyMorning

Famous Leonard Cohen Quotes

“Something I wrote quite a few years ago was, "The voices in my head, they don't care what I do, they just want to argue the matter through and through." It is a common mistake, to think you're going to go into some kind of spiritual practice and you're going to be relieved of the human burdens, from human crosses like thought, jealousy, despair - in fact, if anything, these feelings are amplified.”

IfsThinkingWantYearsHumansKindMatterFactsFeelingsCareSpiritualVoiceCommonMistakePracticeDespairYears AgoCrossesBurdenDon't CareArguingRelievedSpiritual PracticeVoices In My Head
Author:Leonard Cohen
Create image

“I see people allowing their lives to diminish, to become shallow, so they can't enjoy the deep wells of experience. Maybe it's always been this way, when the heart tends to shut down. If only the heart shut down and there were no repercussions, it would be O.K., but when the heart shuts down, the whole system goes into a kind of despair that is intolerable.”

PeopleIfsWayWellsHeartKindWholeWould BeEnjoyDespairDown AndAllowingShallowDiminishRepercussions
Author:Leonard Cohen
Create image

“I've never thought of myself as a singer anyway. . . I've been free from those considerations because so many people over the years told me I don't have a voice. I kind of bought that. I never thought that much about it to begin with. I knew I didn't have one of the great voices. As my Damon Runyanesque lawyer used to say, "none of you guys can sing. If I want to hear singing, I'll go to the Metropolitan Opera."”

PeopleKindGuySingingLawyerConsiderationDamon
Author:Leonard Cohen
Create image

“Well, you know, there's depression and depression. What I mean by depression in my own case is that depression isn't just the blues. It's not just like I have a hangover in the weekend ... the girl didn't show up or something like that. It isn't that. It's not really depression, it's a kind of mental violence which stops you from functioning properly from one moment to the next. You lose something somewhere and suddenly you're gripped by a kind of angst of the heart and of the spirit.”

KnowsWellsHeartKindMeanMomentsShowsSpiritGirlNextLosesMy OwnCasesViolenceWeekendAngstHangover
Author:Leonard Cohen
Create image