I am, in some sense, a writer. Even though I kinda downplay the word thing, I do enjoy writing sometimes.

I've done my share of busking, and it's fun until it isn't. There are musicians in the subways that will make you cry, they're so good.

I think I'm still a little too intense for my own good sometimes.

Every time I get up in the morning, melodies occur to me and I start trying to shape lyrics to melodies.

I guess I'm attracted to more archaic words because they can be imbued with more meaning, because their definition is elusive.

My favorite literature to read is fairly dry history. I like the framework, and my imagination can do the rest.

Sometimes I think I don't have much choice in the matter. It's just what happens, and I'm following my instincts the whole time.

Songwriters can sort of get away with murder. You can throw out crazy theories and not have to back it up with data or graphs or research.

All the folks I play with come from jazz backgrounds or at least appreciate spontaneity within the parameters of a pop song.

I think when I was pretty young I got really into the tone of my instrument and I remember just playing one note for an hour to just kind of feel the resonance of the violin.

There's a lot of interesting words, nomenclatures, in science.

The learned tradition is not concerned with truth, but with the learned adjustment of learned statements of antecedent learned people.

Constantly working outward, putting system after system inside the known universe, they were the bright hungry wave of mankind reaching out to gather in the stars.

It's a very important issue to me, trying to wake people up to the fact that we'd better take better care of our planet.

I spent many years working for voting rights, but we still see sophisticated efforts, led by white officials, to disenfranchise black voters in local and national elections.

One day, we would like an end to pet shops and the breeding of animals.

I'm a very private person, regardless of what the world may think of me.

How lucky we are, when we're spared what we think we want!

To what gulfs A single deviation from the track Of human duties leads even those who claim The homage of mankind as their born due, And find it, till they forfeit it themselves!

I think part of a hero construct is overcoming loss, or being abandoned, or having to make your own way in the world.

I have known ninety-five of the world's great men in my time, and of these eighty-seven were followers of the Bible.