Top 150 Paul Simon Quotes (2025 Update)

1. “Listen to the sound of silence.”

— Paul Simon

Featured in: Music Quotes, Different Quotes, Silence Quotes, Quotes About Listening

2. “All lies and jests, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”

— Paul Simon

3. “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.”

— Paul Simon

4. “One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.”

— Paul Simon

5. “I’ve got nothing to do today but smile.”

— Paul Simon

6. “Mama, don’t take my Kodachrome away.”

— Paul Simon

7. “Why am I so soft in the middle when the rest of my life is so hard?”

— Paul Simon

8. “These are the days of miracle and wonder.”

— Paul Simon

9. “I have my books And my poetry to protect me; I am shielded in my armor, Hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a rock, I am an island.”

— Paul Simon

10. “Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on.”

— Paul Simon

11. “Much of songwriting is simply a mystery.”

— Paul Simon

12. “And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.”

— Paul Simon

13. “Losing love is like a window in your heart...”

— Paul Simon

14. “Life I love you, all is groovy.”

— Paul Simon

15. “There must be 50 ways to leave your lover.”

— Paul Simon

16. “It was the year of the Beatles, it was the year of the Stones, it was 1964.”

— Paul Simon

17. “Who am I to blow against the wind?”

— Paul Simon

18. “Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.”

— Paul Simon

19. “All God requires from us is to enjoy life and love. That’s the whole point.”

— Paul Simon

20. “The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains.”

— Paul Simon

21. “I get the news I need on the weather report And I have nothing to do today but smile.”

— Paul Simon

22. “I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers, still crazy after all these years.”

— Paul Simon

23. “When I look back at all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all.”

— Paul Simon

24. “So I’ll continue to continue to pretend my life will never end, and flowers never bend with the rainfall.”

— Paul Simon

25. “Just slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan, you don’t need to be coy, Roy, just get yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus, you don’t need to discuss much, just drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free.”

— Paul Simon

26. “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”

— Paul Simon

27. “Don’t want to end up a cartoon in a cartoon grave yard.”

— Paul Simon

28. “I don’t know what I’m going to write when I begin to write. It feels like you are walking down a path, but you can’t see around the bend and you don’t know where you are going to go, which is fun.”

— Paul Simon

29. “There is a moment, a chip in time, when leaving home is the lesser crime.”

— Paul Simon

30. “I don’t believe what the papers are saying They’re just out to capture my dime, Exaggerating this, exaggerating that.”

— Paul Simon

31. “There’s something about the sound of a train that’s very romantic and nostalgic and hopeful.”

— Paul Simon

32. “Nor is it strange That after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.”

— Paul Simon

33. “Time it was And what a time it was, it was A time of innocence A time of confidences Long ago it must be I have a photograph Preserve your memories They’re all that’s left you.”

— Paul Simon

34. “She said a good day ain’t got no rain She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed And I think of things that might have been.”

— Paul Simon

35. “The leaves that are green turn to brown. And they wither with the wind. And they crumble in your hand.”

— Paul Simon

36. “I think Bridge Over Troubled Water was a very good song. Artie sang it beautifully. The Boxer was a really nice record. But I don’t think I’ve written any great songs.”

— Paul Simon

37. “Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.”

— Paul Simon

38. “The degree of customization possible through your Preferences screens is awesome.”

— Paul Simon

39. “I’m going to Graceland, for reasons I cannot explain. There’s some part of me wants to see Graceland. And I may be advised to defend every love, every ending, or maybe there’s no obligations now. Maybe I’ve a reason to believe we all will be received in Graceland.”

— Paul Simon

40. “Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door.”

— Paul Simon

41. “We work our jobs, collect our pay, believe were gliding down the highway, when in fact we’re slip sliding away.”

— Paul Simon

42. “I have my books and my poetry to protect me.”

— Paul Simon

43. “Believing I had supernatural powers, I slammed into a brick wall.”

— Paul Simon

44. “I’ve got a reason to believe we all be received in Graceland, Graceland, Memphis Tennessee.”

— Paul Simon

45. “Lord, I am a surgeon and music is my knife. It cuts away my sorrow and purifies my life.”

— Paul Simon

46. “I like working with sound; sound and rhythm. I like the abstract more than “What does that mean?” Nobody ever says to you, “Why did you use a harmonium?” Or “What is that ringing sound that occurs here?” The questions are always “What does that song mean?” or “What were you trying to say here?””

— Paul Simon

47. “And you read your emily dickinson, And I my robert frost. And we note our place with bookmarkers That measure what weve lost.”

— Paul Simon

48. “Breakdowns come, and breakdowns go.”

— Paul Simon

49. “And I must be what I must be and face tomorrow.”

— Paul Simon

50. “Anybody can do bad work, but not everybody does good work.”

— Paul Simon