Henry Rollins famous quotes

There’s one thing about Black Sabbath which should not be understated: If Black Sabbath is missing any one of its members it’s no longer Black Sabbath.
-- Henry Rollins

#Missing #Black #Should

Youth is fleeting and life is short, you might as well strike hard. Anything else is just average.
-- Henry Rollins

#Life Is Short #Average #Fleeting

Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.
-- Henry Rollins

#Life #Depressing #Loneliness

I have no pride about anything I have done. It's just not the way I think about things. I do the work, always, as hard as I can, to the point of pain, injury, exhaustion, if that is what it takes. Once I am done, I move on.
-- Henry Rollins

#Pain #Moving #Pride

I want a soul mate who can sit me down, shut me up, tell me ten things I don’t already know, and make me laugh. I don’t care what you look like, just turn me on. And if you can do that, I will follow you on bloody stumps through the snow. I will nibble your mukluks with my own teeth. I will do your windows. I will care about your feelings. Just have something in there.
-- Henry Rollins

#Laughing #Snow #Soul

The lowest stress environment is the radio show. I am not on camera and I can let the music do the talking. The rest is more highly pressurized or in the case of writing, time intensive task. I say yes to all of it and like all of it but the radio show, by nature of what it is, is the least hassle.
-- Henry Rollins

#Stress #Writing #Talking

We all learn lessons in life. Some stick, some don't. I have always learned more from rejection and failure than from acceptance and success.
-- Henry Rollins

#Life Lesson #Acceptance #Rejection

I live my life through the prism of capitalism and physiological limits and eventualities. In all of that, there is no spirituality required. No God and karma is needed for the numbers. I live my life by the numbers. Not only am I an American, I am an Americanist.
-- Henry Rollins

#Karma #Numbers #Limits

I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds
-- Henry Rollins

#Strength #Running #Two

I can't imagine being sixty years of age and playing music I wrote when I was in my twenties. I would rather sail the sea of consequence to new lands. Laps around the shallow end of the pool, not for me.
-- Henry Rollins

#Years #Sea #Land

I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.
-- Henry Rollins

#Inspirational #Life #Friends

There is a concerted effort to keep you and me, you know, the people, away from what it [war]really looks like, 'cause when you're selling war, when it's such a big industry. What they don't tell you is the rest of it and the down side of it. And so obviously there is a lot of money and a lot of time and effort being spent on that campaign "perpetual war for perpetual peace".
-- Henry Rollins

#War #People #Effort

It's so painful to be next to someone you feel strongly about and know you can't say the things you want to.
-- Henry Rollins

#Want #Next #Painful

I want my fellow citizens to wise up and stop falling for [war]. I try with my limited access, I'm not getting into Kabul with a camera, they're not letting me get into Benghazi with a camera. I do what I can with my flimsy American passport and a visa. The photos are a bit more heavy from Southern Sudan and Haiti and Cuba.
-- Henry Rollins

#Wise #War #Fall

I simply cannot understand how any parent could kill themselves,
-- Henry Rollins

#Parent

Nietzsche, who you don't spend too much time with after the age of seventeen, did have that one great line about "he who stares into the abyss must know that the abyss also stares into him" and I never really understood that until my friend got killed and you really get your head around the idea of what horror means. It's a truly awful thing, to really, kind of have that understanding of things and when you really peer into that.
-- Henry Rollins

#Mean #Ideas #Understanding

A great way to learn about your country is to leave it.
-- Henry Rollins

#Country #Way

There's a lot of stuff like that that American's don't know and since a lot of Americans don't have a passport, I'll get a passport for them and since a lot of Americans don't know what a war looks like thirty, forty years laterand it's still doing damage.
-- Henry Rollins

#War #Years #Looks

All by yourself, unable to express the pain of your distress with your deeper inside. You alienate yourself and everybody else.
-- Henry Rollins

#Pain #Revenge #Retribution

Americans are poorly served by their media, you know, for the war machine and propaganda machine and the global empire and they're poorly served by what they are being told is representative government.
-- Henry Rollins

#War #Media #Government

I definitely learned a lesson this time. I know that I can be broken. I am not as tough as I thought. I see it now. At this point, it's the only thing good that came out of all of this. I know myself better now and know what I have to do.
-- Henry Rollins

#Broken #Lessons #Tough

We Americans look funny when we're in France because we don't travel, we are fairly un-cultured whereas Europeans go to Africa all the time because it's right there.
-- Henry Rollins

#Looks #France

You don't make me feel like you used to. That's why I'm leaving That's why people leave each other They come to their senses and get selfish again.
-- Henry Rollins

#Selfish #People #Leaving

I'm so burned out, the only person I can stand is myself. I'm the only one I would put through this. Wheels and wings, The ride is everything. I'm all I've got. I'm all I can take. Another day has destroyed a part of me. So far so good.
-- Henry Rollins

#Wings #Another Day #Wheels

Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.
-- Henry Rollins

#Life #Stay Strong #Moving

Strength is the product of struggle, you must do what others don't to achieve what others won't.
-- Henry Rollins

#Struggle #Achieve

There is no heaven for me and no hell. And certainly not any Karma.
-- Henry Rollins

#Karma #Heaven #Hell

Go without a coat when it's cold; find out what cold is. Go hungry; keep your existence lean. Wear away the fat, get down to the lean tissue and see what it's all about. The only time you define your character is when you go without. In times of hardship, you find out what you're made of and what you're capable of. If you're never tested, you'll never define you character.
-- Henry Rollins

#Character #Coats #Hardship

I don't get a rush from anything. I did music as hard as I could. Acting for me at least, is a far more restrained performance than music. It requires a lot of skill and discipline. I'm not any good at it but I enjoy trying to be good at it.
-- Henry Rollins

#Skills #Discipline #Trying

It is impossible, after a certain point, to go back to a previous way of life, a previous way of thinking.
-- Henry Rollins

#Thinking #Way #Impossible

I've never killed anybody... but I've definitely thought about it.
-- Henry Rollins

I prefer to work out alone. It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me.
-- Henry Rollins

#Iron #Work Out #Training

We're just very belligerent, and I'm not trying to put Americans down, by and large I think we're nice people, but we operate with the information we're given and we are limited by the ignorance that is kind of injected into the media and into the TV shows.
-- Henry Rollins

#Nice #Ignorance #Thinking

I will never say the things that I want to say to you. I know the damage it would do. I love you more than I hate my loneliness and pain.
-- Henry Rollins

#Pain #Loneliness #Hate

I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White men are afraid of you. White women are afraid of you. The cops hate you. The government wants you dead. Your own people want to shoot you for what you got. You just can't get over it. And even if you are able to get over it you're forced to do it on the white guy's terms.
-- Henry Rollins

#Hate #Mean #Men

If you hate your parents, the man or the establishment, don't show them up by getting wasted and wrapping your car around a tree. If you really want to rebel against your parents, out-learn them, outlive them, and know more than they do.
-- Henry Rollins

#Hate #Men #Car

I don't get a lot of choices in movies. It's not like I'm Brad Pitt and I can walk in and go 'here's the film I want to do' and everyone runs around. I don't have that. I stand in line and do auditions. I'm there with 80 other guys trying to be that guy. Every once in awhile I luck out.
-- Henry Rollins

#Running #Guy #Choices

Keep your blood clean, your body lean, and your mind sharp.
-- Henry Rollins

#Motivational Workout #Blood #Mind

I'm not a young man, and I can find intensity in a lot of different ways, sometimes without even raising my voice. When I was younger, it was all about how I need three extra sets of lungs to get enough wind to get out the thing at the screaming level I need to, because that's the way it needs to be. Now, I see that there's a whole lot of other colors on the palette.
-- Henry Rollins

#Men #Color #Wind

I spend several days at a time without enough sleep. At first, normal activities become annoying. When you are too tired to eat, you really need some sleep. A few days later, things become strange. Loud noises become louder and more startling, familiar sounds become unfamiliar, and life reinvents itself as a surrealist dream.
-- Henry Rollins

#Dream #Tired #Sleep

I like the idea of going out with a woman and not doing anything, and just eating dinner and talking, and that's cool, too. So, someone might look at me and say, "No way, man. He's just banging strippers." And I do that, but not all the time.
-- Henry Rollins

#Men #Talking #Ideas

I'll never forget how the depression and loneliness felt good and bad at the same time. Still does.
-- Henry Rollins

#Depression #Loneliness #Doe

I've never raped or killed anybody, or hurt a kid. I've done all the more inept, high-volume stuff - like, "Whoops, sorry I came in your hair. Don't worry, I won't use your name when I tell this story on stage."
-- Henry Rollins

#Hurt #Sorry #Kids

Sometimes the truth hurts. And sometimes it feels real good.
-- Henry Rollins

#Life #Hurt #Real

It's hard for me to sympathize with a young person who chooses to go into the military because they know where they're going. I think we need to start depopulating the military.
-- Henry Rollins

#Military #Thinking #Needs

My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
-- Henry Rollins

#Optimistic #Optimism #Boots

Can you imagine telling a woman she can't vote!? The women I hang out with would be going home with parts of your anatomy swinging from their rearview.
-- Henry Rollins

#Home #Would Be #Vote

We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer's wreckage. We will welcome summer's ghost.
-- Henry Rollins

#Summer #Wind #Wreckage

I'm not like paparazzi. I never force myself on anyone. I always ask, and some places offer money. And so I try and get these photos to give you, the viewer, a real look at what I was seeing.
-- Henry Rollins

#Real #Giving #Trying

And I laugh at myself when I screw things up, which happens all the time.
-- Henry Rollins

#Laughing #Screws

When life hands you a lemon, say, 'Oh yeah, I like lemons! What else ya got?
-- Henry Rollins

#Life #Hands #Fruit

If you are a kid in Beverly Hills, (I am not putting down people who live in Beverly Hills) if that kid knows private school and a credit card... you can't say the kid is taking life for granted. He is taking the life that was given to him.
-- Henry Rollins

#School #Kids #People

When you start to doubt yourself the real world will eat you alive.
-- Henry Rollins

#Real #Doubt #Alive

Everyone should have the right to go off and do their music or do their books. The people who are in the position to censor they're really not down to reality where that certain artists are coming from.
-- Henry Rollins

#Book #Artist #Reality

You can get what you want. Never sell out. Don't break. Don't weaken. Don't let the kindness of strangers be your salvation, for it is no salvation at all. Unless you sleep alone, you sleep with the enemy. Never come out of the storm. On the other hand, maybe you should. You don't have what it takes to go the hard way. Come out of the cold and sit by the fire. Let them warm you with the smiles and promise of friendship's fortune. Lose your edge. A soft body and chained mind suit you. Chances are you don't have what it takes to walk the frozen trail. Stay home and relax.
-- Henry Rollins

#Kindness #Sleep #Home

I don't want to play old music. To me, it is fighting battles that are already over and calling yourself a warrior. For me, I see no courage or adventure in doing the old thing over again. If others want to, that's for them. For myself, I have to move on. Life is too short to live in the past. There is a lot to be done.
-- Henry Rollins

#Life Is Too Short #Moving #Adventure

It's good to be able to deal with it [anger] somehow other than drinking, fighting, crashing cars, hitting your kid, your wife, your husband, your whatever. Paintbrushes, pens, movie cameras, guitars, microphones, typewriters -- these are good things. Weights. These are positive ways, good ways to deal with anger, frustration, alienation, rage. 'Cause all the other ways do nothing but hurt people.
-- Henry Rollins

#Hurt #Husband #Drinking

I'm always looking upwards and looking forwards and so when someone says, "Hey, would you consider a TV show?" I say, "Hell yeah, I'll consider that. I'll check that out."
-- Henry Rollins

#Tv Shows #Tvs #Hey

I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts.
-- Henry Rollins

#Strong #Believe #Thinking

In America, quite often, for people from a certain economic position two choices become very evident as to their adult life. One is crime, one is the military. And it is quite often that some people choose one or the other, their options not being as many as someone from a higher income.
-- Henry Rollins

#Military #America #Two

I can only write about personal stuff, about my point of view.
-- Henry Rollins

#Writing #Views #Stuff

Pride is not a word or sentiment I can ascribe to anything I have done or do. As far as regret, it is a luxury I can not afford. Anything I did, that was bad or wrong or regretful, I stand accused, I am guilty and I'm ready to serve my time.
-- Henry Rollins

#Regret #Pride #Luxury

I don't want to fail the audience. I don't want to let them down.
-- Henry Rollins

#Want #Failing #Audience

My acting range is incredibly limited and narrow, but I'm a good heavy. I'm a good authoritarian figure; I don't know why. "Can you be a cop?" Sure. "Can you be a Marine?" Absolutely. Well, at least in a movie.
-- Henry Rollins

#Marine #Acting #Cop

No such thing as spare time, no such thing as free time, no such thing as down time. All you got is life time. Go.
-- Henry Rollins

#Spare Time #Life Time

While I have not ruled out the possibility of doing music, what I don't want to do is go onstage and perform old songs. I do, all the time, but I don't think it is artistically brave.
-- Henry Rollins

#Song #Thinking #Brave

In my world there would be as many public libraries as there are Starbucks.
-- Henry Rollins

#Library #Would Be #World

I think that America certainly has racism, I think that any industrialized country does. But when you see how many million fans Barack Obama has who are not black, it would lead one to the conclusion that millions of Americans are in fact not burdened by the albatross of racism.
-- Henry Rollins

#Country #Thinking #America

Collecting records is, for many, beyond a hobby.
-- Henry Rollins

#Hobbies #Records #Collecting

What makes me uncomfortable about [Barack] Obama is what makes me uncomfortable about any young politician who has not yet been bloodied inside the Beltway.
-- Henry Rollins

#Politician #Young #Uncomfortable

Listen to the stage manager and get on stage when they tell you to. No one has time for the rock star bullshit. None of the techs backstage care if you're David Bowie or the milkman. When you act like a jerk, they are completely unimpressed with the infantile display that you might think comes with your dubious status. They were there hours before you building the stage, and they will be there hours after you leave tearing it down. They should get your salary, and you should get theirs.
-- Henry Rollins

#Stars #Thinking #Rocks

I think it's very sad that the political landscape is so dotted with religious extremists who feel the need to infringe upon the lives of decent, free and harmless Americans who want nothing more than to be in love and to spend the rest of their lives together.
-- Henry Rollins

#Religious #Thinking #Political

There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.
-- Henry Rollins

#People #Mountain #Body

Hopefully, one enhances [when growing older] his sense of humor. As he approaches 50, he'll need all the humor he can get.
-- Henry Rollins

#Needs #Growing #Sense Of Humor

As long as I tell the truth I feel that nobody can touch me.
-- Henry Rollins

#Long #Telling The Truth #Touch Me

Will punk rock ever die? Pal, if you have to ask it's dead to you.
-- Henry Rollins

#Rocks #Pals #Punk

An adult has the opportunity to enjoy the wisdom gleaned from previous decades of living and experience.
-- Henry Rollins

#Opportunity #Adults #Enjoy

To this day, my haircut is the number two clippers, which I apply to myself every month.
-- Henry Rollins

#Two #Numbers #Months

When Black Flag and DOA and all those bands were touring in the early 80s, it was kind of a forest and you just kind of got your way through it. Now it's like a six lane highway with Starbucks every twenty meters. That's just civilization.
-- Henry Rollins

#Civilization #Black #Twenties

I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon you doesn't matter - it's only a matter of how much you can take and what it does to you.
-- Henry Rollins

#Hate #Believe #Fate

I'm always looking, people are always presenting and I have found that every year of my life there's been great bands. All over the world, all the time. So when someone goes, "Music sucks now!" I'll go, "I don't think so. Not over at my house."
-- Henry Rollins

#Thinking #Years #People

In the worst of times the best among us never lose their moral compass, and that is how they emerge relatively unscathed.
-- Henry Rollins

#Leadership #Moral #Compass

I think Americans suffer for their lack of travel, awareness of the world. It has horribly warped our sense of place in the scheme of things.
-- Henry Rollins

#Thinking #Suffering #World

Pizza makes me think that anything is possible.
-- Henry Rollins

#Thinking #Pizza #Anything Is Possible

I'm not much of an improv guy. That's a talent I don't have.
-- Henry Rollins

#Guy #Talent

Yes, I guess you could say I am a loner, but I feel more lonely in a crowed room with boring people than I feel on my own.
-- Henry Rollins

#Lonely #People #Loner

Desperation is the secret to my steady employment. I am not interested in downtime. I really like to keep working all the time and I always feel like I'm in the mail room of life; working up.
-- Henry Rollins

#Secret #Employment #Downtime

I never thought about getting any tattoos removed.
-- Henry Rollins

#Tattoo

I would never be innovative enough to "blaze my own trail," I'm just trying to be interesting. So I don't look to anyone else as far as inspiration.
-- Henry Rollins

#Inspiration #Interesting #Trying

Nothing brings people together more, then mutual hatred.
-- Henry Rollins

#People #Hatred #Together

I think as resources become more dear, we really need to consider population.
-- Henry Rollins

#Thinking #Population #Needs

There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it's impossible to turn back.
-- Henry Rollins

#Fighting #Mind #Weakness

I spend a lot of time alone so I get a lot done. I don't do much else but work, check things out.
-- Henry Rollins

#Done #Checks #Alone Time

In the theory of evolution there is no talk of God and no Bibles are used. They're not looking for higher powers, extraterrestrials, or anything else that could be found in the science fiction section, because they are not dealing with fiction.
-- Henry Rollins

#Fiction #Evolution #Theory

I really enjoy the lattitude I have with being a private citizen. I can get a lot done. I am good with that.
-- Henry Rollins

#Citizens #Done #Enjoy

Want a good body? Work at it. Want to be a success? Work at it. Want to be truly exceptional? Be a touch insane... You need a little bit of insanity to do great things.
-- Henry Rollins

#Insanity #Insane #Needs

I'm just a guy. I get treated like I'm famous but I don't take it seriously. I take the time people take out to check me out very, very seriously.
-- Henry Rollins

#People #Guy #Checks

Hope is the last thing a person does before they are defeated.
-- Henry Rollins

#Doe #Lasts #Defeat

I warn people, your 40s will require massive amounts of humor and humility.
-- Henry Rollins

#Humility #People

The world's a better place since I chose music.
-- Henry Rollins

#World