Quotes from Patti Smith

My father was always talking about God, and I idolized my father, so I'd spend hours trying to have mental telepathy with God.

An artist is somebody who enters into competition with God.

John Coltrane, he talks to god. He starts playing his solo, he might play for 14 minutes. For 14 minutes, it seems like he's talking to god, but he always takes a hold of the melody.

I was quite an insomniac. I rarely slept as a child. Having God to talk to at night was nice.

Spare the child and spoil the rod, I am not sellin' myself to god.

We believe we will raise the sky, we got to fly over the land, over the sea. Fate unwinds and if we die, souls arise. God, do not seize me please.

Talking to god and coming back because that's what we have to do. That's your responsibility as a director, as an artist, as a performer. Your responsibility is back again to your people.

I had this idea that the coolest thing that could happen to you was talking with God.

Finally, by the sea, where God is everywhere, I gradually calmed.

I wanted to go to Portland because it's a really good book town.

A good artist's always got his hand in his zipper.

Christianity made us think there's one heaven.

Trust is everything between two artists, or between subject and artist. You have to have trust or nothing good will come out of it.

Good news doesn't necessarily have to be a positive thing. Bringing good news is imparting hope to one's fellow man.

Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.

Make your interactions with people transformational, not just transactional.

Freedom is...the right to write the wrong words.

I never felt oppressed because of my gender. When I'm writing a poem or drawing, I'm not a female; I'm an artist.

Since childhood, it was my dream to go where all the poets and artists had been. Rimbaud, Artaud, Brancusi, Camus, Picasso, Bresson, Goddard, Jeanne Moreau, Juliette Greco, everybody - Paris for me was a Mecca.

We didn't have the phrase 'style icon' when I was young, but I have to say, I really copied Bob Dylan when I was younger: a little bit of Bob Dylan or a lot of Bob Dylan and the French symbolist poets - I liked how they dressed - and Catholic school boys.

If I feel any marginalisation, it's because the things that concern me aren't so important to other people.

First of all, anybody who has lasted 30 and went through the 60's is really a survivor.

Even as a child, I knew what I didn't want. I didn't want to wear red lipstick.

Polaroid by its nature makes you frugal. You walk around with maybe two packs of film in your pocket. You have 20 shots, so each shot is a world.