--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like making records right now 'cause I…" description: "\"I like making records right now 'cause I can express myself that way in a very immediate, physical sense. You can always write a book, but you can't al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg" --- # I like making records right now 'cause I can express… ![“I like making records right now 'cause I can express myself that way in a very immediate, physical sense. You can always write a book, but you can't always do a rock 'n' roll record that's gonna work.” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg) > “I like making records right now 'cause I can express myself that way in a very immediate, physical sense. You can always write a book, but you can't always do a rock 'n' roll record that's gonna work.” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music offers an immediate, embodied form of self‑expression that differs from written words. **In simple terms:** Making records lets you express yourself physically and instantly. Key Takeaway Explore music as a direct expressive outlet. Themes self‑expression music immediacy creativity Mood passionate reflective Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - songwriting - performance - therapy Key Concepts Embodied art authentic voice Questions to Reflect On - How does music shape your identity? - What barriers exist to creating music? A Different Perspective Not everyone can access musical resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Express Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/express-myself/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Making Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-records-290730/) [Record Gonna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record-gonna-4194012/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Records Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records-right-2706346/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Rock n roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-n-roll/) [Rock Roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-roll-267698/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A lot of people felt I was getting work because I was Boy George. My response at the time was that there's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/a-lot-of-people-felt-i-was-getting-work-because-i-was-boy-george-my/) [Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/) > [The crowd loves a record, and if they're gonna be standing out there in crazy, blistering heat on the 4th of July, I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-chestnut/the-crowd-loves-a-record-and-if-they-re-gonna-be-standing-out-there/) [Joey Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-chestnut/) > [If I'm gonna make a dancehall record, I'm gonna reference the best dancehall that I know - even if it might just be super…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jax-jones/if-i-m-gonna-make-a-dancehall-record-i-m-gonna-reference-the-best/) [Jax Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jax-jones/) > [I always wrote like rock 'n' roll. And I always listen to rock 'n' roll as poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-always-wrote-like-rock-n-roll-and-i-always-listen-to-rock-n-roll-as/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-ve-embraced-rock-n-roll-because-it-encompasses-all-the-things-i-m/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm not really a musician. I'm a performer and I love rock 'n' roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-not-really-a-musician-i-m-a-performer-and-i-love-rock-n-roll/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [People still come up to me and ask me to sign their records. That's right, records! Man, they don't even make records no more!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/people-still-come-up-to-me-and-ask-me-to-sign-their-records-that-s/) [Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/) > [“On the end of an era "I think records were just a little bubble through time and those who made a living from them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/on-the-end-of-an-era-i-think-records-were-just-a-little-bubble/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I didn't graduate from college, so I might as well be on Atlantic Records, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sturgill-simpson/i-didn-t-graduate-from-college-so-i-might-as-well-be-on-atlantic/) [Sturgill Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sturgill-simpson/) > [The first rule of rock and roll is it's all about live. Then you have to learn a second craft, which is making records.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-van-zandt/the-first-rule-of-rock-and-roll-is-it-s-all-about-live-then-you-have/) [Steven Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-van-zandt/) > [Hanoi Rocks was our baby and we were the core and we started the band. All those years that went to waste because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-monroe/hanoi-rocks-was-our-baby-and-we-were-the-core-and-we-started-the-band/) [Michael Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-monroe/) > [Rock n' roll was a bad and evil thing. l remember once I was singing a Barry Manilow song, "Mandy," In the back seat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/axl-rose/rock-n-roll-was-a-bad-and-evil-thing-l-remember-once-i-was-singing-a/) [Axl Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/axl-rose/) > [Rock n roll is about drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/rock-n-roll-is-about-drugs/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [If you think you are too old to rock 'n roll, then you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemmy-kilmister/if-you-think-you-are-too-old-to-rock-n-roll-then-you-are/) [Lemmy Kilmister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemmy-kilmister/) > [I didn't plan on rock-n-roll. I wanted to learn jazz; I got to know some people doing rock-n-roll with jazz, and I thought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robby-krieger/i-didn-t-plan-on-rock-n-roll-i-wanted-to-learn-jazz-i-got-to-know/) [Robby Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robby-krieger/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [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.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like making records right now 'cause I can express myself that way in a very immediate, physical sense. You can always write a book, but you can't always do a rock 'n' roll record that's gonna work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patti Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i-can-express-myself-that-way/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i-can-express-myself-that-way/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/patti-smith-394_book_i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i_2305423.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I like making records right now 'cause I can express myself that way in a very immediate, physical sense…” — Patti Smith", "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": "Patti Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I like making records right now...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i-can-express-myself-that-way/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-like-making-records-right-now-cause-i-can-express-myself-that-way/#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 } } ] } ```