My mother was actually a breeder, believe it or not, and she used to name horses after some of my songs.

Philanthropy is never understood by those who don't have it in their own hearts.

I think that every songwriter would give their right arm to come up with a standard that is going to be played long after they're dead.

I struggled for so many years.

I can rock along with the best of them.

I'm far more interested in putting a little more meat into the lyrics than some people are.

Before I ever did a stage concert, I'd done hundreds of living-room concerts, which helped a lot.

I'm not a big consumer at all. I'm very happy with enough.

In an outdoor environment, you need to be more energetic. The attention of the crowd begins to wander - not like an indoor concert where the audience attention is riveted on to the stage.

Americans are much easier to please than Canadians. The American taste is less critical. Canadians are more cultured, they are more aware of the arts than Americans.

Every generation has to have its heroes.

It's every songwriter's dream to come up with a standard.

When I held my first album in my hands, I tell you, there were tears falling down my face. I thought 'This is it. I've arrived. I'm going to be an overnight world star.'

I come from the school of thought that if you want to succeed and stay successful, you've got to put in the hard work at the beginning.

When you have children, you almost feel like you've made your contribution to the survival of the human species. It's your way of passing the baton.

When I left university, I didn't want to jump into anything right away. Music certainly wasn't a burning ambition.

It's tough going out as the opening act of a band especially when you're solo.

Canada was one of the first countries that took an interest in my career. Apart from a freak hit I had in South America, Canadians took my 'Spanish Train' album to heart and have stuck with me ever since. They've been very loyal, and it's been a long and rewarding affair.

You see, when I go on stage I perform with just a guitar and you have to have very strong material to hold an audience from getting bored or restless. One strong way of doing that is the story because everybody will listen to a story.

I like to be subtle, without being too obvious.

Robert Browning - I like his dramatic revelations, his allegorical form.

I've got a room full of gold and platinum records, a lot of them are Canadian, and I've got a very soft spot for that country.

I find it amazing when I get letters from people in Israel and people in Lebanon and they both love the music, but in real life they hate each other.

I generally write the songs accidentally. They generally come out of nowhere.