If I laugh a couple of times a day, I'm doing good. People think it's their God-given right to be happy, and it's just not. It's something you've got to work at. I like to paint the human condition, and the human condition is not smiles and happy people.

Take 'Jack and Diane.' I was so disgusted with people thinking the line 'Hold on to sixteen as long as you can' meant to stay a teenager forever. What I meant was keep doing whatever makes you feel alive.

A lot of the time, I write in the third person, but I'm mostly describing my own ordeals. When those unsettled struggles prey on your mind, you become haunted. To get free, you must defeat your ghosts.

I don't want to be a politician. I don't like politics. It's petty; it fights dirty.

There are a lot of actors who try to get records made and try to make record deals, and everybody goes, 'Ugh.' It used to be expected in the entertainment business. I mean look at Sinatra, Bing Crosby. All these guys started out as singers.

When you live in hysteria, people start thinking emotionally.

I'm not an icon. Not even in America.

There's a certain lack of gimmickry to what I do that makes people in England go: 'Where's the thing?'

Nothing feels worse than having to break the stage down before the performance, and I mean nothing.

There's so many inspiring people out there.

I'm not as surprised in going from playing 1,000 seats to 4,000 seats as I was from 100 to 500 seats.

All I want a song to do is just to kind of present an idea.

Every song I put on a record could be a single and I just pack my bags for it... and the minute it takes off, I'm not gonna be home for a while.

I feel strikingly domestic. We're in our own world with two busses and trucks.

When you do an interview with me, you're talking to a cheap imitation of the person that I really am. There's no magic in my words, it's just me talking.

I've learned to appreciate everything that has been given to me.

I'm willing to make compromises based on someone I think is the one, but I think it's psychologically important to people when they're famous to be the only famous person they know.

If you told me I was going to live to 240, I would take 10 years off and try and act. I don't have that kind of time, so I'd much rather stick to playing guitar.

My hits are not hits.

I don't have anybody telling me what to do.

I wanted everybody to like me. I thought I was one shuck and jive away in every direction.

People are really concerned with what other people are saying about them.

I just like collaborating.

I scientifically engineer my music to be as accessible as possible.