I think one of the reasons that I love the fans that have stuck around, because I really enjoy writing different kinds of songs. I don't know if I write them well or not, but I can write them.

It's hard to deny talent. If you're good, you're good.

I was a good student. My mom is a teacher, and her side of the family is all teachers. She put a big emphasis on getting good grades.

My family was all musicians. We jam all the time.

Kids think books are cool, especially when they see that people they think books are cool are reading.

My world on the road always ends up feeling really small which is ironic because that's when I'm seeing the most places and meeting the most people!

Education is one of the most important tools that you can give somebody.

It's like a dream sometimes, a song just pops into your head and you can't tell if it's something you heard or it's new and you got to write it down.

I've been really lucky to have a lot of cool people and to be around a lot of cool celebrities that I've got to learn from.

Getting on stage, for me, was a huge thing when I first started. And back in high school, everyone was in rock bands and I was a singer/songwriter. It just seems kind of lame.

I never was strutting through the hallways like, "Yeah, I'm a singer/songwriter." That's never a cool thing to do - to be the brooding guy.

If you are opportunity oriented, you will find opportunities all around you. If you are problem oriented, you will see problems all around you.

I don't like to see animals in pain. That was very uncomfortable to me. I don't like factory farming. I'm not an advocate for the meat industry.

A student is almost always feeling motivated to practice, if he leaves his lesson feeling capable

Dave hung up. And unplugged the phone. With a fierce and bitter pain he stared at it, watching how, over and over again, it didn't ring.

The world belongs to passionate driven people.

When you listen to someone's songs, their soul comes through.

I used to believe in one true soul mate, but not anymore. I believe you can have a few.

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.

The things that you do should be things that you love, and things that you love should be things that you do.

If you will not have God (and He is a jealous God), you should pay your respects to Hitler or Stalin.