To me, religion is an agreement between a group of people about what God is. Spirituality is a one-on-one relationship..

What's important is you wake up in the morning and something doesn't exist, and when you finish you day's work something is in the world that wasn't ….

Me, I'm spiritually retarded, I need to be knee deep in water with a fly rod in my hands, that's about as close to God as I get..

America's criminal justice system isn't known for rehabilitation. I'm not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore..

All we do as songwriters is rewrite the songs that have impressed us till we find our own voice. It's part of learning the craft..

Bob Dylan is one of the very few people in the history of popular music who you can unquestionably apply that word [genius] to..

I don't separate writing songs from poetry and short fiction. In the area where I work in my house, there's a word processor and a guitar..

Every day on Earth is another chance to get it right..

Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that..

I don't believe that songwriting has to be profound, but I truly believe that it's a crime for you to go outta your way for it not to be..

If I can get Me out of the way, I can do anything..

The reason music became so powerful to our generation is that it's art you can consume in your car, and we were driving around a lot..

I have a low tolerance for mediocrity in music and life. I'm into pain and joy and the in-between doesn't interest me..

I'm not a racist, but I do have to work at not being a racist, because of where I grew up..

Like most kids, I grew up singing 'This Land Is Your Land' in grammar school, but with the most radical verses neatly removed. This was before I knew….

I have no doubt in mind that I justify the space I take up in the world..

Greg Trooper writes great songs, including one of my very favorite songs in the world, Little Sister. On top of all that, there's his voice - an inst….

Critics are notoriously liberal with their use of the term 'genius'..

People hate good books to be over. I wish I could write a 700-page book..

Fundamentalism, as practiced by the Taliban, is the enemy of real thought, and religion, too..

I don't care what's happening in the mainstream of country music. I haven't in a long time..