I don't feel any pressure from fans. But I'm always in some kind of state of emotional turmoil. I would not describe myself as happy-go-lucky. That's not to say that I'm not happy.
Paul SimonRead
I try to open up my heart as much as I can and keep a real keen eye out that I don't get sentimental. I think we're all afraid to reveal our hearts. It's not at all in fashion.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the difficulty of being emotionally open in a world that often values detachment.
Paul Simon reflects on the tension between openness and vulnerability in relationships. He expresses a desire to authentically share his feelings while also recognizing the societal pressures that discourage sentimental expressions. This duality shows how people often struggle with the fear of exposing their true selves due to the fear of judgment or rejection, highlighting the universal experience of emotional conflict.
In practice
During a speech at a mental health awareness event, one might use the quote to illustrate the importance of emotional honesty.
I don't feel any pressure from fans. But I'm always in some kind of state of emotional turmoil. I would not describe myself as happy-go-lucky. That's not to say that I'm not happy.
I sort of recognize it, as opposed to shaping it. Oh, that's a good idea, that's a good line. I wonder where I can use that. And when you get into a rhyme group like 'not,' you got a lot of rhymes, you got a lot of choices. The more you do it, the luckier you get.
I am just a poor boy, though my story's seldom told, and I have squandered my resistance, for a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises. All lies in jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest...la-la-la-la-la-la-la-lala-la-la-la-la...
Who's gonna love you when your looks are gone?
I don't believe what the papers are saying They're just out to capture my dime, Exaggerating this, exaggerating that.
Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.
We do know that no one gets wise enough to really understand the heart of another, though it is the task of our life to try.
We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.
There's really no substitute for being able to sit across from someone, have eye contact, see and read their body language, hear the inflection in their voice in a real way.
If the best of one's feelings means nothing to the person most concerned in those feelings, what reality is left us?
Maybe I`m getting to the age when I`m starting to be senile or nostalgic or both, but people are so angry now. You used to be able to disagree with people and still be friends. Now you hear these talk shows, and everyone who believes differently from you is a moron and an idiot - both on the Right and the Left.
The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.
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