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Patti Smith

Patti Smith Quotes

Singer-songwriter

Patti Smith is an influential American singer-songwriter, born on December 30, 1946. Known for her unique musical style and poetic lyrics, she is considered one of the pioneers of post-punk and punk rock. Smith's music career began in the 1970s, and she quickly became a star in the underground music scene. Her debut album 'Horses' was released in 1975 and is considered a landmark in punk rock.

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Famous Patti Smith Quotes

“I would always say to anyone, you make choices that are important to you. Don't allow yourself to be exploited by something as fleeting as fame and fortune. If you're presenting yourself in a way that important to you in communicating your vision, then so be it. No one should allow themselves to be exploited ever.”

Ifs Way Should Important Choices Vision Fame Fortune Communicate Fleeting Presenting Presenting Yourself

Author:Patti Smith

“As much as I can, as much as I can afford, I keep ticket prices down. Rock 'n' roll was developed as the people's voice, the people's art, it was grassroots. I don't believe that the people should be estranged from their rock stars. They're not kings and queens - all rock stars are those who are able to give back a bit of culture to other people. It's people's heritage.”

People Giving Should Believe Art I Can Able Culture Stars Bits Voice Rocks Kings Don't Believe Queens Heritage Rock N Roll Tickets Giving Back Rock Star Grassroots Kings And Queens

Author:Patti Smith

“I always thought my father [influenced me most] because he was so well read, I tried to model myself on him, but really as I go through life I realise it was my mother who gave me the most valuable instructions. I didn't understand or accept it at the time. She taught me to read and to pray - two things that have really stayed with me.”

Wells Two Mother Father Accepting Taught Praying Models Valuable Two Things Realising Instruction

Author:Patti Smith

“Light inspires me. I'm drawn to architecture, often graves, statues, trees - things usually that are quite still. I've been taking pictures continuously since 1995 until the end of Polaroid film. I'm taking very few pictures nowadays because I have very little film left, most of it expired.”

Littles Stills Ends Light Film Left Tree Inspire Architecture Graves Statues Taking Pictures Expired Polaroids

Author:Patti Smith

“I think I work in two worlds. I'll always try to kick through a wall. I did that when I was younger and I still have my way of doing that.”

Thinking World Way Trying Stills Two Wall My Way Kicks Two Worlds

Author:Patti Smith

“I reflected on the fact that no matter how good I aspired to be, I was never going to achieve perfection”

Matter Facts Achieve Perfection

Book:Just Kids

Source: Just Kids

“We go through life. We shed our skins. We become ourselves.”

Author:Patti Smith

“I think some of that hopelessness of my generation got passed on to later generations - the sense of uselessness.”

Thinking Generations Hopelessness My Generation Uselessness

Author:Patti Smith

“I just know that young people suffer, and I also know music is one of the things that help you get through - music and friends.”

People Knows Helping Young Suffering Music Is

Author:Patti Smith

“I'm here right now and I want now to be the greatest time.”

Author:Patti Smith

“Life is like a roller coaster. It's never going to be perfect - it is going to have perfect moments, and then rough spots, but it's all worth it.”

Moments Life Is Perfect Spots Rough Worth It Life Is Like Roller Coaster Coasters Perfect Moments

Author:Patti Smith

“Fate is like a secret friend that helps push you on into life.”

Helping Secret Fate

Author:Patti Smith

“The two things that constantly inspired me were books and travel.”

Two Book Inspired Two Things

Author:Patti Smith

“For I desired, as Youth does, to be taken by the hand and hurled into the world.”

World Doe Hands Taken Youth

Author:Patti Smith

“Blessedness is within us all.”

Author:Patti Smith

“The things I thought would happen didn't. Things I never anticipated unfolded.”

Book:Just Kids

Source: Just Kids

“Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide us on our own particular journeys.”

Helping Suffering Choices Individual Journey Particular Seeking Guides Bows

Author:Patti Smith

“If you over-plan, you close the door on possibilities.”

Ifs Plans Doors Possibility

Author:Patti Smith

“I didn't waste my time on things I didn't love.”

Waste My Time Wasting My Time

Author:Patti Smith

“There's nothing cool about being self-destructive.”

Self Destructive Self Destructive Self Destructive Behavior

Author:Patti Smith

“I believe myself to be an artist. That was my calling, to do my work, and what's most important to me is to do the best work I possibly can. And that is what means the most, that is what will endure.”

Believe Mean Important Artist I Believe Calling Endure Do The Best Best Work

Author:Patti Smith

“One thing I like about getting older is things, your spectrum widens, your capacity for compassion widens.”

Compassion One Thing Capacity Getting Old Getting Older Spectrum

Author:Patti Smith

“I think really that's just the basic Christian lesson that sometimes takes us years and years to understand - have equal concern for another human being as you have for yourself or perhaps even more concern for another human being than you have for yourself.”

Thinking Years Humans Sometimes Christian Human Beings Lessons Equal Concern

Author:Patti Smith

“I always hope that young people will think for themselves and also most importantly, understand that they should judge themselves on their own merit, their good deeds, however simple, to not judge themselves by what they have materially, by what other people think of them, through social media.”

People Thinking Should Young Social Simple Media Judging Deeds Social Media Merit Good Deeds

Author:Patti Smith

“I really feel concerned about young people within our present culture. Our present culture, we have to change. Change is inevitable and I wasn't raised in our present culture but it has great pressure that as a young person I never had. Material pressure, social pressure, visual pressure, how you look, and I just try to appeal to young people to think for themselves, to be their own person, and to ask questions and also be very attentive to our planet and our environment.”

“Put down your cell phones, put everything away, and feel your blood pulsing in you, feel your creative impulse, feel your own spirit, your heart, your mind. Feel the joy of being alive and free.”

Feels Mind Heart Joy Spirit Creative Alive Blood Phones Cells Impulse Cell Phone

Author:Patti Smith

“Technology is 50% of rock 'n' roll - the magic, the art, the performance. If you don't have good technicians and a strong road crew who are devoted and believe in you and protect you, you're totally naked.”

Ifs Believe Art Strong Technology Magic Rocks Protect Performances Naked Rock N Roll Devoted Crew Believe In You Protect You Technicians

Author:Patti Smith

“I use drugs to work. I never use them to escape or for pleasure. When you turn to drugs, all you're doing is turning inside, anyway. I only use drugs for construction. It's like one of my architectural tools.”

Use Turns Pleasure Drug Tools Construction

Author:Patti Smith

“For me, personally, I think drugs are sacred and should be used for work. That's what I believe in. Drugs have a real shamanistic value. I can handle drugs. I've never had a problem.”

Thinking Should Believe I Can Real Problem Used Values I Believe Drug Sacred I Believe In Handle

Author:Patti Smith

“I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to communicate with everybody; I'd like to do something universal, I'd like to have the hit record of the world. But that's not the same as being equal.”

People Thinking World Records Equal Universal Communicate Being Equal

Author:Patti Smith

“I don't wear makeup. I can't stand nothin' on my face. It's a phobia. It's not a platform.”

I Can Faces Makeup Platforms Phobia

Author:Patti Smith

“I'm not really a musician. I'm a performer and I love rock 'n' roll.”

Rocks Musician Performers Rock N Roll

Author:Patti Smith

“I don't have an image of myself, when I'm walking down the street, like I'm a rock star or something. I'm a human being, I'm a friend, I'm a mom, I'm a writer, and I'm an artist. I do play electric guitar and all of that but in the end I'm just a person. I really don't live like a rock star, economically or socially. I still live a pretty simple life beside the traveling aspect of it.”

Humans Persons Stills Ends Play Artist Stars Human Beings Simple Streets Rocks Mom Walking Aspect Guitar Electric Rock Star Simple Life Electric Guitar

Author:Patti Smith

“I've embraced rock 'n' roll because it encompasses all the things I'm interested in: poetry, revolution, sexuality, political activism - all of these things can be found in rock 'n' roll. But I am also engaged in all of these things separately.”

Political Found Rocks Revolution Sexuality Activism Engaged Rock N Roll Political Activism

Author:Patti Smith

“The way our big cities change sucks. The beauty of cities was that they were edgy, sometimes even a little dangerous. Artists, poets, and activists could come and unify and create different kinds of scenes. Not just fashion scenes, scenes that were politically active. Big cities are getting so high-end oriented, business corporate fashion, fashion not in an artistic sense but in a corporate sense. For me that edgy beauty of cities is lost, wherever you go.”

Way Kind Littles Different Ends Sometimes Bigs Artist Lost Cities Fashion Dangerous Poet Scene Active Artistic Corporate Activist Different Kinds Edgy Big Cities

Author:Patti Smith

“I think it's really great that people share their work [on Myspace] and no one is paying for it. I think that's a very healthy thing and it's not a corporate thing.”

People Thinking Share Healthy Corporate Really Great

Author:Patti Smith

“New generations have unprecedented power to make great changes. Take the music business for example. The new generations have toppled the music industry by file sharing, downloading, and Myspace. Rock 'n' roll belongs to the people.”

People Generations Rocks Example Industry Rock N Roll Files Music Business Music Industry Unprecedented New Generation Great Change File Sharing

Author:Patti Smith

“Just because I've extricated myself from religion doesn't mean I'm not interested in the scriptures. I look at the Bible as itself. It's a holy book, it has incredible literature in it and beautiful poetry.”

Looks Mean Book Beautiful Literature Holy Incredibles Scripture Not Interested Holy Books Beautiful Poetry

Author:Patti Smith

“I studied the Bible seriously until I was young teenager. It was always part of our home education: talking about the Bible, arguing about the Bible, interpreting it. So I don't connect prayer or scriptures with any particular religion so it's not a contradiction in my life.”

Home Young Prayer Talking Particular Arguing Scripture Teenager Contradiction Interpreting

Author:Patti Smith

“I never thought of being a performer, never thought of being a singer, never thought of being a photographer. It's just the trajectory of my work. I go to the medium that serves the vision.”

Vision Photographer Singers Mediums Performers Trajectory

Author:Patti Smith

“After writing all day I go for a walk and see a piece of architecture i want to photograph and i have to take a picture and later a poem comes in my mind.”

Want Writing Mind Walks Pieces Photograph Architecture

Author:Patti Smith

“I don't think people should do biopics of living people. I'm totally opposed to that.”

People Thinking Should

Author:Patti Smith

“I was horny, but I was innocent 'cause I was a real-late bloomer and not particularly attractive. In fact, homely.”

Real Facts Causes Late Innocent Attractive Horny Homely

Author:Patti Smith

“I was like one of the boys in school who flap their legs frantically under the desk. I always had this weird feeling between my legs and I had no idea what it was. I didn't know girls masturbated. I never touched myself or anything.”

Knows Ideas Feelings School Girl Boys Legs No Idea Touched Desks Weird Feeling

Author:Patti Smith

“I was so horny in school it felt like my body was filled with electricity. I felt like I had neon bones or something.”

Body School Felt Filled Bones Electricity Horny Neon

Author:Patti Smith

“I never had any dates. I never really had any boyfriends. I was the girl who did the guys' homework. I was really crazy about guys but I was always like one of the boys. The guys I always fell in love with were completely inaccessible.”

Guy Girl Boys Crazy Homework Inaccessible

Author:Patti Smith

“I didn't want any middle-of-the-road creep. I always wanted the toughest guy in school, the guy from south Philly who wore tight black pants. Y'know, the guy who carried the umbrella and wore white shirts with real thin black ties. I was really nuts over this guy named Butchie Magic 'cause he let me carry his switchblade.”

Knows Want Real Wanted School Guy Causes Black White Magic Middle Let Me South Shirts Ties Nuts Pants This Guy Creeps Umbrella Middle Of The Road White Shirts Black Tie

Author:Patti Smith

“I was always trying to pick guys up. I'd ask guys out and stuff like that. I had no pride. I was the biggest lurch at dances, waiting for the ladies' choice. I'd lunge at my prey like a baby wolf.”

Trying Guy Choices Asks Stuff Waiting Pride Baby Picks Prey Always Trying

Author:Patti Smith

“I was so involved in my boy-rhythms that I never came to grips with the fact that I was a girl. I was twelve years old when my mother took me inside and said, "You can't be outside wrestling without a T-shirt on." It was a trauma.”

Years Said Facts Mother Girl Boys Involved Trauma Rhythm Shirts Wrestling Twelve T Shirt My Boys

Author:Patti Smith

“That whole thing about masturbating. Most girls, I guess nobody has to tell them, they just figure it out. I had to be told. Some girl actually had to show me a hairbrush and demonstrate exactly what to do. I just never figured that stuff out naturally.”

Whole Shows Girl Stuff Figures Show Me

Author:Patti Smith

About the Author

Born: December 30, 1946
Known for: Singer-songwriter
Quotes: 496

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People Thinking Artist Ifs Rocks Writing Want Art Children Knows

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

Books & Sources

Just KidsRelated source material

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DevotionRelated source material

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