Patti Smith

“To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to not be successful, freedom to be who you are. It's freedom.”

“Life is an adventure of our own design, intersected by fate and a series of choices.”

“We go through life. We shed our skins. We become ourselves.”

“Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.”

“Where does it all lead? What will become of us? These were our young questions, and young answers were revealed. It leads to each other. We become ourselves.”

“Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don't make compromises, don't worry about making a bunch of money or being successful — be concerned with doing good work.”

“I'm an artist and I need to be free to explore all the corners of my heart. There are no boundaries.”

“Make your interactions with people transformational, not transactional.”

“Art is the highest form of hope.”

“To be an artist is to believe in life.”

“I think everything is possible. And I think that is a revolutionary thing to think.”

“My mission is to communicate, to wake people up, to give them my energy and accept theirs. We're all in it together.”

“The artist is the servant. I am the servant of the people. I am the servant of my vision.”

“I don't fuck much with the past, but I fuck plenty with the future.”

“Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.”

“A writer, or any artist, can’t expect to be embraced by the people. I don’t expect to be embraced. I’m just glad I get to do it.”

“For me, art is a continuous discovery into reality.”

“Rock and roll is a conscience. It's a vehicle for social change.”

“I'm just a person. I'm not a rock star. I'm a worker.”

“I learned from my mother that you don't have to be a writer to be a writer.”