Quotes from John Lydon

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.

The greatest achievement of my life is enduring a disease that nearly killed me. I came out of it a better person. It's my one great accomplishment - more so than anything else I've done.

There is nothing glorious in dying, anyone can do it.

The Sid speciality was getting his hair to stick up like Bowie's. He would get two chairs from the living room and put them in front of the oven, open it, and lie upside down with his head inside with the gas on, and the heat would make his hair stiff. He once caught fire that way too. Sometimes it would frizzle at the end, but it was a good look. You know, "How does Dave Bowie get that happening?" "Well, just like you, Sid!

All I want in life is clarity, transparency, so I know who is doing what, and to whom, at all times. My only real enemies in life are liars, and they'll do everything to stop me because they want the contamination to continue, because it's comfortable for them, or completely ignorant mindless fools who believe every word they read in a daily rag.

It wasn't overwhelmingly catastrophic he killed himself. Most people who mess about with heroin, they lose their souls way earlier, it's just waiting for the body to keel over.

People don't like other poor people, and rather than blame the people that make you all poor, you blame each other.

Obama's dense as a doorbell; not much going on up there - it's a wooden top.

My words are my bullets.

The idea of hearing, 'Great gig, man,' one more time just turns my stomach over.

The record companies fell apart - quite deservedly. Their corrupting, all-binding contract nonsense had to stop.

A record company used to be a very good thing, but they ended up soul-destroyingly trapping people in the accounting department. And you couldn't get any further, and the heads of each department were changing all the time, so you couldn't have any permanent relationship within the corporation.

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

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

Live music is healthy.

Move to Italy. I mean it: they know about living in debt; they don't care. I stayed out there for five months while I was making a film called 'Order Of Death,' and they've really got it sussed. Nice cars. Sharp suits. Great food. Stroll into work at 10. Lunch from 12 till three. Leave work at five. That's living!

Love is 2 minutes and 52 seconds of squelching noises.

I don't release records to be anything but enjoyable.

I've always despised the hippies.

It's a repressive society where you can't be horrible, I'm not horrible, they made me horrible, I'm just honest.

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.'

I have no time for lies and fantasy, and neither should you. Enjoy or die.

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.

I love pop music. It's not easy to write a good pop song. It may be easier to put out a fake jazz album, as Sting does from time to time.