John Quotes

There was never any question about it: we [with Yoko Ono] had to have a 50-50 relationship or there was no relationship, I was quick to learn.

People are just up tight because the kids are having fun and they didn't have the same freedom.

Nobody's ever tried the peace thing, ... We are selling it like soap.

What does it mean when a person is such a pacifist that they get shot? I can never understand that.

When I was a child I experienced moments of not wanting to see the ugliness, not wanting to see not being wanted. This lack of love went into my eyes and into my mind.

If you're an unknown artist you're lucky to get an hour in a studio - it's a hierarchy and if you don't have hits, you don't get recorded again.

Am I crazy or am I a genius? I don't think I'm either.

But for me at any rate it was all part of dissolving the God trip or father-figure trip. Facing up to reality instead of always looking for some kind of heaven.

I've always been politically minded, you know, and against the status quo.

Control yourself. You'll spurt.

I don't believe in magic ... I don't believe in Jesus ... I don't believe in Buddha ... I don't believe in Elvis ... I don't believe in Beatles.

Happiness is a warm gun.

You're jeans are full of crap. You're full of beans, you're in you teens. You've lost your mama's road map.

I don't want to be king, I want to be real.

As in a love affair, two creative people can destroy themselves trying to recapture that youthful spirit, at twenty-one or twenty-four, of creating without even being aware of how it's happening

Reporter lady: What's that color? John: Hm. I'd call this a color!

If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles.

I once was the walrus, now I'm John.

There is no denying that we are still living in the capitalist world. I think that in order to survive and to change the world, you have to take care of yourself first. You have to survive yourself.

Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These.

I'm dissatisfied with every record the Beatles ever f***ing made. There ain't one of them I wouldn't remake.

We had one thing in common - we were in love. But love is just a gift, and it doesn't answer everything and it's like a precious plant that you have to nurture and look after and all that.

Life happens whilst you're planning other things.

I wanna hold your gland.

I only ever asked two people to work with me as a partner. One was Paul McCartney and the other Yoko Ono. Paul and me were the Beatles.

I don't miss it. I'm glad it happened, but I don't miss it.

I didn't leave the Beatles. The Beatles have left the Beatles, but no one wants to be the one to say the party's over.

You say you want a revolution? Well, you know. We all want to change the world.

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see. It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out. It doesn't matter much to me.

I really had a chip on my shoulder, ... and it still comes out every now and then.

I once had a girl, or should I say she once had me.

Everything is true and not true about everything. That’s one thing I’ve learned.

I always like the studio best, once I got the hang of it and the control. I like it because it's complete control

You feel alone if you're the only one thinking 'wouldn't it be nice if there was peace and nobody was getting killed.' So advertise yourself that you're for peace if you believe in it.

Everybody seems to think I'm lazy I don't mind, I think they're crazy. Running everywhere at such a speed Till they find there's no need.

I didn't come after Elvis and Dylan, I've been around always. But if I see or meet a great artist, I love 'em.

If somebody gives me a joint, I might smoke it, but I don't go after it.

Why don't people believe us when we say we're simply in love?

Wouldn't it be interesting to take Elvis back to his Sun Records period? I don't know. But I'm content to listen to his Sun Records. I don't want to dig him up out of the grave.

I don't want to grow up but I'm sick of not growing up -​ that way. I'll find a different way of not growing up. There's a better way of doing it than torturing your body.

I'm really very embarrassed about my guitar playing, in one way, because it's very poor. I can never move but I can make a guitar speak.

We're mostly macrobiotic, but sometimes I take the family out for a pizza.

I just sat all night looking at him, saying, 'Wow, it's incredible.' When Yoko woke up, I told her, 'He's fine,' and we cried.

Life is what's going on while your making other plans.

If you could drink dreams like the Irish streams Then the world would be high as the mountain of morn In the Pool they told us the story How the English divided the land.

I stopped listening to Dylan with both ears after Highway 64 (sic) and Blonde on Blonde, and even then it was because George (Harrison) would sit me down and make me listen.

Listen, if anything happens to Yoko and me, it was not an accident.

Paul (McCartney) and I made a deal when we were 15. There was never a legal deal between us, just a deal we made when we decided to write together that we put both our names on it, no matter what.

I can't speak for George, but I pretty damn well know we got fed up of being sidemen for Paul.

You can't give a child too much love and if you love somebody, you can't be with them enough. There's no such thing.