Quotes by Steve Earle

My objection to the death penalty is based on the idea that this is a democracy, and in a democracy the government is me, and if the government kills somebody then I'm killing somebody.

— Steve Earle

Life

They say death and taxes are the only things that are inevitable. The truth is, you can not pay your taxes. I've done it, and there's consequences, but it can be done. Death you're not going to get out of, and you kind of got to deal with it.

— Steve Earle

Truth

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.

— Steve Earle

Life

The idea that murder victims' families are best served by continuing the cycle of violence is something that I consider to be not only a lie, but criminally negligent. You lie to victims' families when you tell them they're going to receive closure if they participate in the process and witness the execution of a human being.

— Steve Earle

Truth

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

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

Actually, in its purest form, Islam is incredibly tolerant. That makes what's going on in the world really bizarre.

— Steve Earle

Life

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

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

I don't really think in terms of obstacles. My biggest obstacle is always myself.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

My son was diagnosed with autism. He's OK, he makes eye contact, but he doesn't talk. He needs eight hours a day of very intensive school, and you wouldn't even believe me if I told you how much it costs.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

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.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

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.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

I grew up counterculture. I'm essentially a hippie, and I'm essentially a folkie.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

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.

— Steve Earle

Education

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

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

I mainly read non-fiction, and that's probably because I have a huge amount of insecurity about my lack of education and the things I don't know.

— Steve Earle

Education

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.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

If there is such a thing as a workaholic, I'm it, and that's what passes for leisure.

— Steve Earle

Success

My dad was in a wheelchair and on oxygen for the last few years of his life.

— Steve Earle

Life

The singer-songwriter has always played music that was stylistically rooted in the '30s and the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. But the fact of the matter is that none of us remember the Depression firsthand.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

The drama teacher that I had in high school, back in Texas, was the only teacher who didn't kick me out of his class. He turned me on to 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.' I had picked up Dylan with 'Bringing It All Back Home,' and he turned me on to the first couple of albums, which I hadn't heard.

— Steve Earle

Education

We're so terrified of death in Western culture that we have to make up a myth of an afterlife. I think there's something to be said for living your life very mindful of the fact that you're going to die because I think you carry yourself differently. It doesn't have to be this big, negative bummer.

— Steve Earle

Life

My audience is, you know, pinkos in big cities.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom

You can go out and find ways to make your own record and get it out there now. If you really want to, you can be heard. Keep things simple. Learn to go out and play solo. That's a really really good thing to learn, if you're a singer-songwriter. Don't be dependent on a band because you may not always be able to afford one.

— Steve Earle

Education

At home, I'm lucky if I can write three or four hours before the phone starts ringing and the kids want to go to soccer.

— Steve Earle

Wisdom