John Lennon

My role in society, or any artist or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

I’ve had the boyhood thing of being Elvis. Now I want to be with my best friend, and my best friend’s my wife. Who could ask for anything more?

If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.

The pressures of being a parent are equal to any pressure on earth. To be a conscious parent, and really look to that little being’s mental and physical health is a responsibility which most of us, including me, avoid most of the time, because it’s too hard…To put it loosely, the reason why kids are crazy is because nobody can face the responsibility of bringing them up…

You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.

My defenses were so great. The cocky rock and roll hero who knows all the answers was actually a terrified guy who didn’t know how to cry. Simple.

I’ve always wanted to be a mom at 23, 24ish, ever since I was a little girl. I’m right on schedule.

My mom has always been my champion. She was very smart and grounded. She said, ‘Save your money. Pay your taxes. Don’t put everything in one basket,’ but she let me explore and be creative.

My daughters are the heart of my heart and the center of my world.

I know what it’s like to be married and to live in a house with a garden, but it’s not something I’m striving for at the moment.

Father was the eldest son and the heir apparent, and he set the standard for being a Rockefeller very high, so every achievement was taken for granted and perfection was the norm.

Family not only need to consist of merely those whom we share blood, but also for those whom we’d give blood.

When your children arrive, your heart becomes a room with wide open windows.

I pay my mama’s bills, I ain’t got no time to chill.

It’s much worse to read criticism about your son than yourself.

I’ve been a loner all the time throughout my life… I haven’t been the best father… Many times… my children have accused me of not giving them enough attention. And, frankly, I never have been good at handling that.

Having lots of siblings is like having built-in best friends.

My father was a perfectionist. We had to hop to everything and have marvelous table manners. I could only wear navy blue and gray and white. He wanted me to be interested in tennis and horses just like a little princess, but I couldn’t stand such things.

The best thing about having a sister was that I always had a friend.

I learned another thing from the hurt my cousin gave me – never to give that kind of hurt to anyone else. My revenge was to change a bad feeling into a good one. If I’m working with you and I sense you’re feeling a little insecure, I try to make you feel great. That’s how I get rid of my old hurt. If I don’t do that, my hurt grows and makes me mean and vengeful. But if hurt can change to kindness – that’s something Mama showed me – the world becomes a little less cruel.

I learned more from my mother than from all the art historians and curators who have informed me about technical aspects of art history and art appreciation over the years.