--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my…" description: "\"When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you have to ask, you're never going to know.'\" — Henry Rollins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png" --- # When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you… ![“When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you have to ask, you're never going to know.'” quote by Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png) > “When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you have to ask, you're never going to know.'” [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Punk is an intuitive, lived experience; if you must define it, you lack its essence. **In simple terms:** Punk can't be explained, only felt. Key Takeaway Embrace the feeling, not the definition. Themes culture identity authenticity Mood defiant reflective Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - music scenes - personal style - social movements - creative expression Key Concepts subculture experiential knowledge Questions to Reflect On - What does punk mean to you personally? - How does trying to define it change your experience? A Different Perspective Definitions can limit personal connection to the culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punk/) ## Related quotes > [A guy walks up to me and asks 'What's Punk?'. So I kick over a garbage can and say 'That's punk!'. So he kicks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/a-guy-walks-up-to-me-and-asks-what-s-punk-so-i-kick-over-a-garbage/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [I'm tired of chasing my dreams, I'm just going to ask them where their going and meet them there later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-tired-of-chasing-my-dreams-i-m-just-going-to-ask-them-where-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I used to just go ahead and do things, and later on I'd wonder if I was doing the right thing. Now if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-used-to-just-go-ahead-and-do-things-and-later-on-i-d-wonder-if-i/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [It is necessary ... for a man to go away by himself ... to sit on a rock ... and ask, 'Who am I,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/it-is-necessary-for-a-man-to-go-away-by-himself-to-sit-on-a-rock-and/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“The question we must ask for ourselves is: Are we going to be miserable just because other people are?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-question-we-must-ask-for-ourselves-is-are-we-going-to-be/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Every time you ask yourself where hip-hop's going, ask yourself where you're going; how are you doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/every-time-you-ask-yourself-where-hip-hop-s-going-ask-yourself-where/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Everywhere I go, people come up to me on the street and ask me if there’s going to be another one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/everywhere-i-go-people-come-up-to-me-on-the-street-and-ask-me-if/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [If I don't ask for something, I'm not going to get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruchi-sanghvi/if-i-don-t-ask-for-something-i-m-not-going-to-get-it/) [Ruchi Sanghvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruchi-sanghvi/) > [Mie\_(: Why do you ask me to be me when all your going to is judge me for being ME!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massie-moxley/mie-why-do-you-ask-me-to-be-me-when-all-your-going-to-is-judge-me-for/) [Massie Moxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massie-moxley/) > [“Is it a gun?" I ask. "Am I going to get shot again?" "Not today, smartass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-cole/is-it-a-gun-i-ask-am-i-going-to-get-shot-again-not-today-smartass/) [Gwen Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-cole/) > [Many people ask me about WWE and if I'd go to WWE in the future. They ask me if I'm going now. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuchika-okada/many-people-ask-me-about-wwe-and-if-i-d-go-to-wwe-in-the-future-they/) [Kazuchika Okada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuchika-okada/) > [There are two questions that we have to ask ourselves. The first is 'Where am I going?' and the second is 'Who will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/there-are-two-questions-that-we-have-to-ask-ourselves-the-first-is/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [You ask whether I am going over to the history of science... no, I am not as old as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-kelk-ingold/you-ask-whether-i-am-going-over-to-the-history-of-science-no-i-am-not/) Christopher Kelk Ingold > [1. When People see you Lying Down, With Ur Eyes Closed, they Ask: Are You Sleeping? (No! I'm Trying to Die?) 2. When It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asheya/1-when-people-see-you-lying-down-with-ur-eyes-closed-they-ask-are-you/) [Asheya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asheya/) > [...even saying good-bye isn’t enough. There’s always one more thing you should have had the time to say, or do, or ask. There’s always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/even-saying-good-bye-isn-t-enough-there-s-always-one-more-thing-you/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) ## More by Henry Rollins > [I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-believe-that-one-defines-oneself-by-reinvention/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the summer of '84, you just couldn't escape the Born in the USA record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/in-the-summer-of-84-you-just-couldn-t-escape-the-born-in-the-usa/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Sleep is for squares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/sleep-is-for-squares/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. I grew up with violence. My introduction to music was violent. The years I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-raised-in-washington-dc-very-violent-place-i-grew-up-with/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I feel close to people like Jimi Hendrix because I connect with his music. Not the man but what he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-close-to-people-like-jimi-hendrix-because-i-connect-with-his/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Young, gay and stuck in Arkansas? Sounds like a horror flick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/young-gay-and-stuck-in-arkansas-sounds-like-a-horror-flick/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I was never told to "Get up, get out there, get a job." It was never a thing either parent ever said I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-never-told-to-get-up-get-out-there-get-a-job-it-was-never-a/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [There's no retirement, there's just a few years of non-work by the fire with someone bringing you some tea and relative peace and playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-no-retirement-there-s-just-a-few-years-of-non-work-by-the/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I love being a storyteller. I love telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-love-being-a-storyteller-i-love-telling-stories/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) [Explore all 1,006 Henry Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. 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And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you have to ask, you're never going to know.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Rollins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-reply-is-if-you-have-to-ask-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-reply-is-if-you-have-to-ask-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/henry-rollins-170_asks_when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-rep_195373.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When someone asks you, 'What's punk?' my reply is, 'If you have to ask, you're never going to know.'” — Henry Rollins", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Henry Rollins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When someone asks you, 'What's punk?'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-reply-is-if-you-have-to-ask-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/when-someone-asks-you-what-s-punk-my-reply-is-if-you-have-to-ask-you/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```