Top 254 Quotes & Sayings by John Lydon - Page 2

Music can describe emotions far more accurately than words ever can. As soon as I realised that, I knew music was where I wanted to be.

Pop music I have always loved best. But the more extreme, fascist-led examples of the music business I tend to detest the most.

I'd rather give up my ears than my eyes, which might sound unusual for a musician.

If you ever want to know why I'm not on a record label, look at 'The X Factor!' Honestly, of all the people that strive to break barriers in music and do good things and write great lyrics, not one of them would ever pass the first round on any of these competitions.

Do not stand in the middle, go to the right or to the left.

Here's how I understand music. If you can play the same bunch of noise twice, it's music. To go beyond that is supercilious and pontificating.

No matter what you experience in life, it incorporates political tendencies, and in so many ways.

There's no harm in me. Really, I'm just a big kid.

I love a bit of flag-waving.

I don't believe in anarchy, because it will ultimately amount to the power of the bully, with weapons. Gandhi is my life's inspiration: passive resistance. I don't want to live in the Thunderdome with Mad Max.

Pop music I have always loved best.

We need wealthy dogs off the seats of power. They're taking us back to feudalism and I really don't want that. But I'm very far from being a socialist.

I think I have something valid to say. My words are my bullets. I like to brag that somehow I got it right.

Me, as a human, I never want to take away another human being's choices or lifestyles or anything.

Being born into the Royal Family is like being born into a mental asylum. Marrying into it is not something to be taken lightly.

When I write, my brain moves faster than my hands so I'm always trying to picture things.

Dummy Dum Dum was my nickname for years at school. I was the strange one of the family, the one who couldn't remember his name.

The only good political movement I've seen lately was Occupy Wall Street. They had no leaders, which was genius. But unfortunately it always ends up with some hippy playing a flute.

Art should be life. It's an imitation of life. It should have some humanity in it.

Some song ideas absolutely require a kind of rigid discipline, and others require absolute chaotic abandon. The form is only valid if you know how to un-form it. I don't mean to sound like an intellectual here!

If you give me the chance, I'll destroy America for you.

I was a very sickly boy when I was young; nearly died when I was 7. I had a life-threatening attack of meningitis, and that put me in a coma for a few months. It took me four years to get my memory back.

I love being alive so much. When you come out of comas in your childhood, every moment awake is a joyous occasion.

You'll find that empty vessels make the most sound.

I wanted to wear the most impenetrable suit of armour ever known to mankind. 'Hello, Mr. Rotten...' You can't say anything about me. You can't put me down in any way shape or form - I'm rotten to the core... you know, what's left for you? Pleasantries? I suppose the worst insult you could sling my way is 'Oh, he's really nice, him.'

My biggest fear is mindlessly and stupidly repeating myself.

The day I run out of ideas is the day I stop making records.

If you were to look back at me as a school kid you'd see a very quiet little church mouse kind of character.

If I'm left to my own devices, I will be tempted to make the most unlistenable music possible.

Just because people think politically different to you doesn't mean they're inhuman.

I had an Irish Catholic education. Horrible nuns, vindictive and cruel.

I don't believe in pets. I like animals to be wild and free.

I'm in England so often I haven't really left, but Americans aren't at all like they're misrepresented through their politicians.

There's many, many ways to write a song. But generally, sitting down at a table and writing is not one of them.

Occasionally, a re-enactment is a fine thing. I love Civil War re-enactments.

Analog, electronic, whatever it happens to be, I simply love and adore literally every aspect of making music.

I'm not blowing my own trumpet here, but I made a rap song 20 years ago with Afrika Bambaataa.

I have one major problem with the internet: It's full of liars. There doesn't seem to be any way to answer to people lying about you.

I don't like the monikers, and I don't like being pigeonholed. You know, I'm a human being.

I keep falling off the edge of the stage because I can't see it. I can't see my wrinkles in the mirror either, though.

If you have something to say then you want someone to pay attention or at least to have the opportunity for them to tell you to shut up and go away.

I've had great pleasure meeting the likes of Newt Gingrich and having a chat with the fellow on a staircase. I found him completely dishonest and totally likeable, because he doesn't care! He knows what a politician is, and he's a perfect embodiment of one.

I love books, and all the best ones are people analysing their own emotions. You can learn from that.

My words are my bullets.

I'm no one's lap dog, you can't put me on a leash.

Any new ideas go into PiL. My inspiration is everything that the human being gets up to. I don't listen to any music when I'm in PiL-zone, because influences can poison your well. Otherwise, I listen to anything.

You need the past as a guideline. The history of music is a good basis, but to escape that stuff, that tortuous rulebook, you have to learn it first. It's kind of like religion - once you've written the Bible, that's it, move on.

I like America's diversity and its landscapes.

I love pop music. It's not easy to write a good pop song.

These days young kids don't have any place to form an epic adventure. It's more often in front of the TV screen or a laptop. That's very hard on them. They're being taught daily unsocial skills. Facebook is an unsocial skill. It's so sad.

I could never be a member of a single party. I want the best of all worlds, thank you.

I nearly die of fear before I go on stage. Something wicked. I can't eat a thing the day before a gig.

I find Lady Gaga hilarious. And I kind of like her. My heart's warmed to her.

I never wore a studded leather jacket, y'know. Ne-va!

You know, I've been to some superstars' houses, and I've been really disgusted when I see their platinum discs hanging in the toilet. They're just there on the walls glaring at you when you're trying to be occupied with other things.

Oscar Wilde turned the world upside down and was able to laugh at it, and hopefully by the time I'm 120 and worn out, that's what I will achieve. I love being alive so much.

You're made to feel ugly, and I made ugly beautiful. Just by sheer persistence. Nobody has the right to say that I am ugly, and I will not be a professional victim, you know. Sorry!

I've been in very many situations where I've not liked the other members of the band or they have not liked me. I grew up presuming that's the way music was made. It doesn't need to be that way. It's taken me years years to find that out.

U2 - that's a band that never should have existed. There's no life experience in any of their songs.

Periods of inactivity, I don't know such things. I'm consistently writing. My life is busy. It always is. There are hardly any moments for self-indulgent laziness.