“To stand up on a stage alone with an acoustic guitar requires bravery bordering on heroism. Bordering on insanity.”

“It's fun to sing sad songs. And it's fun to listen to sad songs. Enjoyable. Satisfying. Something.”

“People want to hear about the extremes of human nature. They want things that are larger than their own lives, and more romantic, and not necessarily of their own experiences.”

“No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

“All my life I've been surrounded by people who are smarter than I am, but I found I could always keep up by working hard.”

“Loveless work, boring work, work valued only because others haven't got even that much, however loveless and boring--this is one of the harshest human miseries.”