Youths write me and tell me that their band will go nowhere because of all the bad bands in the world. I tell them there has always been awful music and that no great band ever wasted any time complaining, they just got it done. Their ropey ranting is just a way to get out of the hard work of making music that will do some lasting damage.
Interpretation
Success comes from hard work, not complaints.
Henry Rollins emphasizes that rather than lamenting the presence of poor music or competition, aspiring musicians should focus on creating their own art. Great bands have always existed alongside mediocre ones; it's the dedication to their craft that sets successful artists apart.
In practice
In a motivational speech to young musicians at a workshop.
Some people see Black Friday as a much-needed break for their wallet. I see it as retail outlets showing the customers the full weight of their contempt. The frenzy to buy cheap crap from China, the human downgrade of people fighting with each other over items they can probably live without, to me, is an insult.
Strength is the product of struggle, you must do what others don't to achieve what others won't.
Sitting in a room, alone, listening to a CD is to be lonely. Sitting in a room alone with an LP crackling away, or sitting next to the turntable listening to a song at a time via 7-inch single is enjoying the sublime state of solitude.
When the Iron doesn't want to come off the mat, it's the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn't teach you anything.
If you paid Americans a living wage, they would be able to pay for products made by Americans in America.
If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will write in blood on forgotten walls. I will write always. I will capture nights all over the world and bring them to you
Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one's coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve. Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedne ss to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenges that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required.
Every day you spend drifting away from your goals is a waste not only of that day, but also of the additional day it takes to regain lost ground.
The depth of darkness to which you can descend and still live is an exact measure of the height to which you can aspire to reach.
The only thing worse than starting something and failing... is not starting something.
I'm drawn to failure. I feel like I'm contending with it constantly in my own life.
I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose.
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