“I liked the immediacy, the transmutation of energy. I liked the task of drawing from oneself. One's ancestors. One's God. To be a human saxophone. 'Birdland' is an example of how a lyric is composed in the studio. It is… — Patti Smith Copy Share Image
I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was… — Patti Smith Copy Share
Sometimes [people] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. — Patti Smith Copy Share
“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to… — Patti Smith Copy Share
“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.” — Patti Smith Copy Share
Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide… — Patti Smith Copy Share
If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's… — Patti Smith Copy Share
I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.… — Patti Smith Copy Share
In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth. — Patti Smith Copy Share
New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.… — Patti Smith Copy Share
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… — Patti Smith Copy Share
Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the… — Patti Smith Copy Share
I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble… — Patti Smith Copy Share
