Quotes from Lou Reed

Raymond Chandler managed to write about L.A. his whole career. Should I keep going writing about New York? Is that what I should be doing? Songwriting doesn't work that way.

I've never been super confident about anything. The work is never as good as it could be.

I don't really think about what the subject of my next album will be. I just know that I'm going to make another album.

The music business doesn't interest me anymore.

Well, everybody does something, some people race cars, others collect stamps, I find tai chi to be philosophically, aesthetically, physically and spiritually fascinating.

I can create a vibe without saying anything, just by being in the room.

Give me your hungry, your tired, your poor, that's what the Statue of Bigotry says. Your poor huddled masses, let's just club them to death, and get it over with.

I tried to give up drugs by drinking.

I don't like nostalgia unless it's mine.

When I'm rushing on my runAnd I feel just like Jesus's son

There's a bit of magic in everything, and some loss to even things out.

How can anybody learn anything from an artwork when the piece of art only reflects the vanity of the artist and not reality?

I think life is far too short to concentrate on your past. I rather look into the future.

And what costume shall the poor girl wearTo all tomorrow's partiesA hand-me-down dress from who knows whereTo all tomorrow's parties

Between thought and expression lies a lifetime.

It takes a busload of faith to get by.

Io sono un artista e ciò significa che posso essere egocentrico quanto mi pare.

Life's like forever becoming But life's forever dealing in hurt Now life's like death without living That's what life's like without you ... What good are these thoughts that I'm thinking It must be better not to be thinking at all A styrofoam lover with emotions of concrete No not much, not much at all ... What's good? What's good? Not much at all Life's good- But not fair at all - What's Good - The Thesis from Magic and Loss

As with most things in life, it's that little hop at the end…

Just a perfect day, you made me forget myself I thought I was someone else, someone good Perfect Day

They say the president's dead No one can find his head It's been missing now for weeks But no one noticed it He had seemed so fit And I'm sick of it I'm sick of you Bye bye bye

You do this because you like it, you think what you're making is beautiful. And if you think it's beautiful, maybe they think it's beautiful.

One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz.

I take drugs just because in the 20th Century in a technological age living in the city there are certain drugs you have to take just to keep yourself normal like a caveman. Just to bring yourself up or down, but to attain equilibrium you need to take certain drugs. They don't getcha high even, they just getcha normal.