I think of Steely Dan as being of its time, and it may be inseparable from its time.

Popularity has everything to do with business and nothing to do with music.

It's great to know that our old stuff still sounds good to our fans, just as it's wonderful to think that we've turned a few people on to jazz over the years.

When you get a groove going, time flies.

What a beautiful world this will be What a glorious time to be free

What do you do with what you're given, and how do you transform it into something worthwhile?

Anthemic rock music is inherently fascist - anything intended to move huge masses of people is politically offensive to me.

I like it when songs develop in some way. Four minutes usually isn't enough time for something to develop musically.

We don't think of ourselves as being perfectionists, really. To us it's more about desperately trying to have it sound more or less OK.

I have a critical nature, in the sense that when I look at something I often look for the flaws.

As jazz fans, it was amusing for us to play jazz harmonies on these big, ugly electric guitars.

the only difference between you and someone you envy is you settled for less

Disrespecting disrespect is not disrespect

The system wears a mask of civility, yet will quickly reveal its true nature in the form of magnificently-purposed violence when needed.

Why are people getting on elevators shocked to find people getting off elevators?

When you like someone, you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to let them in. Love is messy.

Grizzly Adams did have a beard.

I had a moment where I realised I could do silly voices, that lots of people I knew couldn't do silly voices, and that thus I must be able to make money doing silly voices.

Playing keys is more than just knowing what notes to play. You have to know about the buttons too.

Let us not make the poor our friends by our alms, not our enemies by our scorns. We had better have the ears of God full of their prayers, than heaps of money in our own coffers with their curses.

I like a challenge. I need to feel passionate about something. If I'm not passionate about it, I can't stand it. It has to feel real. DJ'ing, touring, charity work - anything.