The youth of an art is, like the youth of anything else, its most interesting period. When it has come to the knowledge of good and evil it is stronger, but we care less about it.

Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on.

All philosophies, if you ride them home, are nonsense, but some are greater nonsense than others.

In old times people used to try and square the circle; now they try and devise schemes for satisfying the Irish nation.

I used to think there was something dirty about being paid for something which is a sacred thing to do. I can't disconnect the act of writing music from the act of prayer. If anyone tries to stop me working, it feels like someone is trying to stop me from taking communion.

I never conceived of not writing a novel. I believed - oh, God, I believed, it was an article of faith! - I was born to write a novel.

Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side, not the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.

A lot of times, you get into it with your significant other, and you feel like, 'Oh my God, you are acting crazy.' I've heard that before - I'm sure a lot of us have!