The older the grapes, sweeter the wine.

People, whether they know it or not, like their blues singers miserable. They like their blues singers to die afterwards.

Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz -- My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.

I won't quit to become someone's old lady.

Texas is OK if you want to settle down and do your own thing quietly, but it's not for outrageous people, and I was always outrageous.

Hippies believe the world could be a better place. Beatniks believe things aren't going to get better and say the hell with it, stay stoned and have a good time.

You know why we're stuck with the myth that only black people have soul? Because white people don't let themselves feel things.

If someone comes along, gonna give you some love and affection, I say get it while you can.

You can't stay in your home town and play because the two people will get tired of seeing you.

You're only as much as you settle for. If they settle for being somebody's dishwasher that's their own f***ing problem. If you don't settle for that and you keep fighting it, you know, you'll end up anything you want to be.

To be true to myself, to be the person that was on the inside of me, and not play games. That's what I'm trying to do mostly in the whole world, is not bullshit myself and not bullshit anybody else.

If you've got a today, don't wear it tomorrow. Tomorrow never happens. It's all the same day.

Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got.

If you can get them once, man, get them standing up when they should be sitting down, sweaty when they should be decorous, smile when they should be applauding politely-and I think you sort of switch on their brain, man, so that makes them say: 'Wait a minute, maybe I can do anything.' Whoooooo! It's life. That's what rock and roll is for, turn that switch on, and man, it can all be.

I'd rather have ten years of superhypermost than live to be seventy sitting in some goddamn chair watching TV.

Honey, if you've had your eye on a piece of talent and that chick down the road has been getting all the action, then you know what you gotta do... Try A Little Bit Harder.

In my insides, it really hurts if someone doesn't like me. It's silly.

After they see me, when their mothers are feeding them all that cashmere sweater and girdle -- -- - expletive deleted by the New York Times, maybe they'll have a second thought -- that they can be themselves and win.

Don't you know that you're nothing more than a one night stand?

Singing, it's like it's like loving somebody, it's a supreme emotional and physical experience.