Joni Mitchell

But now it's just another show, you leave em laughing when you go. And if you care, don't let them know, don't give yourself away.

The rock & roll industry is very incestuous, and we have all been close at one time or another. A lot of beautiful music and a lot of beautiful times came from that. A lot of pain, too, because, inevitably, different relationships broke up.

My parents told me I'd point to a bed of flowers and say 'Pink. Pretty,' before I knew any other words.

All my battles were with male egos. I’m just looking for equality, not to dominate. But I want to be able to control my vision.

I heard someone from the music business saying they are no longer looking for talent, they want people with a certain look and a willingness to cooperate. I thought, that's interesting, because I believe a total unwillingness to cooperate is what is necessary to be an artist — not for perverse reasons, but to protect your vision. The considerations of a corporation, especially now, have nothing to do with art or music. That's why I spend my time now painting.

And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We can't return we can only look behind From where we came And go round and round and round In the circle game.

I'm a method actress in my songs, which is why it's hard to sing them.

The songwriting was almost like something I did while I was waiting for my daughter to come back.

I'm irresponsible to my career in order to paint. Because painting is obsessive. I forget to eat. I forget to sleep.

I couldn't see passion as a bad thing.

Fame is a series of misunderstandin gs surrounding a name.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

I heard someone from the music business saying they are no longer looking for talent, they want people with a certain look and a willingness to cooperate.

Nobody understood The Reoccurring Dream, but after September 11, when we were coerced to do a national duty and go out and shop, surely people could begin to see what I was getting at.

When I came to California, it was the mecca of the world. Every young person on the planet wanted to be here.

When the world becomes a massive mess with nobody at the helm, it's time for artists to make their mark.

I don't understand why Europeans and South Americans can take more sophistication. Why is it that Americans need to hear their happiness major and their tragedy minor, and as jazzy as they can handle is a seventh chord? Are they not experiencing complex emotions?

Back then, I didn't have a big organization around me. I was just a kid with a guitar, traveling around. My responsibility basically was to the art, and I had extra time on my hands. There is no extra time now. There isn't enough time.

I used to be monastic, almost. Now I'm like a Tibetan that has discovered hamburgers and television. I'm catching up on Americana.

There are things to confess that enrich the world, and things that need not be said.

They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you got till it's gone