23 David Bowie Quotes That Are as True Now as They Were Then

David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie, lived from January 8th, 1947 until January 10th, 2016. David Bowie’s one of those larger-than-life figures who left a mark on the world as an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor, that will echo into eternity itself. Bowie is looked upon as one of the inarguably most influential musicians throughout the 20th century. Bowie receives praise in particular from critics and musicians alike for all of his groundbreaking work during the 1970s. Bowie was committed to the creative process of never settling and continuing to reinvent. We’ll take a look at some of the most memorable David Bowie quotes that make the rounds to this day.

1. On trusting the process

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”

2. On life’s journey

“The truth is of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.”

3. On the midlife crisis

“Everything I read about hitting a midlife crisis was true. I had such a struggle letting go of youthful things and learning how to exist and have enthusiasm while settling into the comfort of an older age.”

4. On music itself

“Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity. So it’s like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You’d better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that’s really the only unique situation that’s going to be left.”

5. On not people-pleasing

“All my big mistakes are when I try to second-guess or please an audience. My work is always stronger when I get very selfish about it.”

6. On changing your mind

“I change my mind a lot. I usually don’t agree with what I say very much. I’m an awful liar.”

7. On being curious

“What I have is a malevolent curiosity. That’s what drives my need to write and what properly leads me to look at things a little askew. I do tend to take a different perspective from most people.”

8. On judging a situation

“It amazes me sometimes that even intelligent people will analyze a situation or make a judgement after only recognizing the standard or traditional structure of a piece.”

9. On the ghosts that haunt us all

“On the other hand, what I like my music to do to me is awaken the ghosts inside of me. Not the demons, you understand, but the ghosts.”

10. On being an early riser

“I’m an early riser. I get up between five and six, have coffee, and read for a couple of hours before everyone else gets up.”

11. On Madonna

“It would be my guess that Madonna is not a very happy woman. From my own experience, having gone through persona changes like that, that kind of clawing need to be the center of attention is not a pleasant place to be.”

12. On negativity

“I’ve never responded well to entrenched negative thinking.”

13. On fame

“Fame can take interesting men and thrust mediocrity upon them.”

14. On the inner world

“For me, the world that I inhabit in reality is probably a very different world than the one people expect that I would be in.”

15. On art

“All art really does is keep you focused on questions of humanity, and it really is about how do we get on with our maker.”

16. On glam rock

“When it comes down to it, glam rock was all very amusing. At the time, it was funny, then a few years later it became sort of serious-looking and a bit foreboding.”

17. On anxiety

“Anxiety and spiritual searching have been consistent themes with me, and that figures into my worldview. But I tend to make my songs sound like relationship songs.”

18. On stylistic loyalty

“I don’t have stylistic loyalty. That’s why people perceive me changing all the time. But there is a real continuity in my subject matter. As an artist of artifice, I do believe I have more integrity than any one of my contemporaries.”

19. On pretension

“I’m responsible for starting a whole new school of pretension.”

20. On artistic boundaries

“I don’t see any boundaries between any of the art forms. I think they all inter-relate completely.”

21. On adolescence

“As an adolescent, I was painfully shy, withdrawn. I didn’t really have the nerve to sing my songs on stage, and nobody else was doing them. I decided to do them in disguise so that I didn’t have to actually go through the humiliation of going on stage and being myself.”

22. On the alter ego

“I think much has been made of this alter ego business. I mean, I actually stopped creating characters in 1975, for albums, anyways.”

23. On the power of a few chords

“Sometimes you stumble across a few chords that put you in a reflective place.”