1. A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. 2. Healing yourself is connected with healing others.
3. True artists are prophets. I don't want to be that prophetic in that sense because it's so lonely.
4. We are all dreamers creating the next world, the next beautiful world for ourselves and for our children.
5. All my concerts had no sounds in them; they were completely silent. People had to make up their own music in their minds!
6. At least I had that, one guy understood me.
7. I just go with the flow, so any style can be in my music - that makes it exciting.
8. I'm a very obsessive type. If I do get into it, I'll soon be there 12 hours a day. I just don't want to do that.
9. Marriage is a gamble, let's be honest.
10. Every drop in the ocean counts.
12. No one person could have broken up a band, especially one the size of the Beatles.
13. Being alone is very difficult.
14. The nice thing about the gallery shows is that without having to pay any money you can just go and see it.
15. John wrote with a very deep love for the human race and a concern for its future.
16. Artists are going to be the metronome of this society.
17. War is over if you want it.
18. The 1960s were about releasing ourselves from conventional society and freeing ourselves.
19. What the Beatles did was something incredible, it was more than what a band could do. We have to give them respect.
20. I think of John every day. I do try to block it, but December 8th is not the only day I think of him.
22. Most of the fans of John Lennon and maybe John and Yoko are younger than me.
23. What we do really affects the world. Most of us think we can't do anything, but it really isn't true.
24. If your life changes, we can change the world, too.
25. My life was pretty rough.
26. People make music to get a reaction. Music is communication.
27. The cynicism that you have is not your real soul.
28. I'm not going to doubt my life.
29. Art is my life and my life is art.
30. When you go to war, both sides lose totally.
31. Why do they cover Paul's songs but never mine?
32. Everybody's an artist. Everybody's God. It's just that they're inhibited.
33. Remember, each one of us has the power to change the world. Just start thinking peace, and the message will spread quicker than you think.
34. Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.
35. Each time we don't say what we wanna say, we're dying.
36. We're all water from different rivers,
That's why it's so easy to meet,
We're all water in this vast, vast ocean,
Someday we'll evaporate together.
37. It's better to dance than to march through life.
38. Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90. Time is a concept that humans created.
39. You may think I’m small, but I have a universe inside my mind.
40. We’ve been filled with great treasure for one purpose: to be spilled.
41. I feel sad that he’s just a voice now.
42. Tape the sound of the moon fading at dawn. Give it to your mother to listen to when she's in sorrow.
43. Use your blood to paint. Keep painting until you faint. Keep painting until you die.
44. I think that all women are witches, in the sense that a witch is a magical being. And a wizard, which is a male version of a witch, is kind of revered, and people respect wizards. But a witch, my god, we have to burn them. It’s the male chauvinistic society that we’re living in for the longest time, 3,000 years or whatever. And so I just wanted to point out the fact that men and women are magical beings. We are very blessed that way, so I’m just bringing that out. Don’t be scared of witches, because we are good witches, and you should appreciate our magical power.
45. Cosmetics is a boon to every woman, but a girl's best beauty aid is still a near-sighted man.
46. I thought art was a verb, rather than a noun.
47. Mirror becomes a razor when it's broken. A stick becomes a flute when it's loved.
48. Give death announcements each time you move instead of giving announcements of the change of address. Send the same when you die.
45. Cosmetics is a boon to every woman, but a girl's best beauty aid is still a near-sighted man.
46. I thought art was a verb, rather than a noun.
47. Mirror becomes a razor when it's broken. A stick becomes a flute when it's loved.
48. Give death announcements each time you move instead of giving announcements of the change of address. Send the same when you die.
49. Hide until everybody goes home. Hide until everybody forgets about you. Hide until everybody dies.
50. I wonder why men get serious at all. They have this delicate, long thing hanging outside their bodies which goes up and down by its own will. If I were a man I would always be laughing at myself.
51. When people get cynical about love, they should look at us (Yoko and John Lennon) and see it is possible.
52. I believe in people so much that if the whole of civilization is burned so we don't have any memory of it, even then people will start to build their own art. It is a necessity - a function. We don't need history.
53. Spread the word. Spread the peace.
54. At this time I think it's important that we remember John for what he contributed to the world. For people who still love John's music and for those now getting into John's music, this opens up a whole new world in which they can appreciate John's music again.
55. So many people have approached me and said: "Can I do a musical of John," ... It's a very simple idea, you know - wow, a musical of John! But I've said no. This time, I said yes, because I liked the idea of having these different actors playing John. Because in the years after John's passing, John has transformed into something else. People in Asia think of him as their hero. People in Africa think of him as their hero. He was a hero for the whole world, and not just a white hero. So it's great to have a black performer singing as John. For me, this play is a revolution, a quiet revolution.
56. I will consider the possibility, that is, when I get the call.
57. Lennon would enjoy musical.
58. No Rodgers and Hammerstein on Broadway now. Only Juke Box.
59. (When) I read about the battle of the widows, I thought: "I'm not John's widow, Yoko is John's widow".
60. It's not as though you're an old school friend of mine, Cynthia.
61. You killed my man, you bastard!
56. I will consider the possibility, that is, when I get the call.
57. Lennon would enjoy musical.
58. No Rodgers and Hammerstein on Broadway now. Only Juke Box.
59. (When) I read about the battle of the widows, I thought: "I'm not John's widow, Yoko is John's widow".
60. It's not as though you're an old school friend of mine, Cynthia.
61. You killed my man, you bastard!
62. If he's observing me from up there, I'm sure he's proud of me. It's going to go on and on. This is what I love now, so it's great.
63. How could he be a friend when he was indicted for grand larceny and took so many things from us?
64. You're out of the shot... Do you mind playing a little nearer to the camera?
65. His life was a very driven one, a very compressed one, ... In his very short life, he did a lot for us. (Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building on December 8, 1980. He and Ono were married in 1969.)
66. I hope the press will keep their respectful distance and give Olivia and Dhani the space they need now. George has given so much to us in his lifetime and continues to do so even after his passing, with his music, his wit and his wisdom
67. Thank you George, it was grand knowing you.
68. People always portrayed us as enemies, like two boxers on opposite sides of the ring, but of course it was never really like that.
69. I'd like to know how I feel towards her now. I'd really like to have a decent conversation to get to know this woman who has changed the face of musical history in many ways.
70. I said: "You're a good songwriter, it's not June with Spoon that you write. You're a good singer and most musicians are probably a little bit nervous about covering your songs."
71. Let's just say I don't know if she has my number.
72. New technology is something he always embraced and this is something he would have loved.
73. If we had a big Apple Records lawyers meeting or something and we were sitting there and John was bored to death, he would start to (draw). The lawyers would later say.
74. He was very generous about it. I just wonder where those drawings went.
75. Then he started to do it, and I'm very glad I said that.
71. Let's just say I don't know if she has my number.
72. New technology is something he always embraced and this is something he would have loved.
73. If we had a big Apple Records lawyers meeting or something and we were sitting there and John was bored to death, he would start to (draw). The lawyers would later say.
74. He was very generous about it. I just wonder where those drawings went.
75. Then he started to do it, and I'm very glad I said that.
76. This week has been hard. Depressing. Now I'm smiling. I'm here. I see all your faces. John would have been so happy that you acknowledged his achievements. This means so much to us. It would have made him happy that you acknowledged our partnership.
77. When you go to war, both sides lose totally.
78. I just go with the flow, so any style can be in my music - that makes it exciting.
79. Mothers are not supposed to give guidance, right' Sean's doing his own thing.
78. I just go with the flow, so any style can be in my music - that makes it exciting.
79. Mothers are not supposed to give guidance, right' Sean's doing his own thing.
80. Several years ago, I was walking in Central Park with a friend, and he said: "You're slowing down; you must be thinking about something." And I was. I started to walk faster, clearing my mind, but then not long after, he said: "Ah, you're thinking again." I realized that if my thoughts immediately affect my body, I should be careful about what I think. Now if I get angry, I ask myself why I feel that way. If I can find the source of my anger, I can turn that negative energy into something positive.
81. John and I thought our bed-in for peace (in 1969) would transform things - we weren't patient at all. But now I know that you have to be. You can't always measure the effects of activist work; you just have to wish and pray that the message gets through. Luckily, I think most people are activists now - it's a very beautiful age, when we're starting to become more aware that we have to work together to make things better.
82. I don't think you should always stay calm in a tense situation, because you might not ever confront the problem. Maybe it's better to actually let yourself be tense - and find a solution. Every day there are new problems to solve, and I always ask myself: "Am I doing my best?" I have only one life, so I want to make sure it's a good one.
82. I don't think you should always stay calm in a tense situation, because you might not ever confront the problem. Maybe it's better to actually let yourself be tense - and find a solution. Every day there are new problems to solve, and I always ask myself: "Am I doing my best?" I have only one life, so I want to make sure it's a good one.
83. Experiencing sadness and anger can make you feel more creative, and by being creative, you can get beyond your pain or negativity. People's reactions to my work aren't necessarily important - it's fine if they have different opinions. If their response is good, then I feel good, but what I create has to do more with myself. When I express myself, I feel free.
84. After John passed away, my grief showed in my face. I knew that was not good for our son, Sean, so one day I looked in the mirror and tried to make myself smile. At first it looked made-up, and I thought: "Ugh, will this be good enough?" But with practice, it felt more natural, and eventually my whole body started to smile - I think that's how I saved myself.
84. After John passed away, my grief showed in my face. I knew that was not good for our son, Sean, so one day I looked in the mirror and tried to make myself smile. At first it looked made-up, and I thought: "Ugh, will this be good enough?" But with practice, it felt more natural, and eventually my whole body started to smile - I think that's how I saved myself.
85. John and I felt that we were like people in an H. G. Wells story. Two people who are walking so fast that nobody else can see them.
86. In a day, sometimes I feel so much love for the world, I think my heart is bursting. Sometimes, I feel so scared, I want to shrink myself even further. I think that’s what happened to us gods and goddesses. Like the dinosaurs, we realized that it’s too dangerous to be so large. So we kept shrinking ourselves to what we are now. We might get even smaller. I see the sign in the engineers making smaller gadgets, smaller and smaller. Pretty soon, our fingers will be too large to operate them. So what are we doing? I trust in the human wisdom. We are incredibly intelligent beings. So we might know something without thinking that we know…. Well, even my best friend didn’t know until now that I was thinking of crazy things like this.
87. There is a saying that a glass is half empty or half full, depending on how you look at it. Well, we all know that one. But we cannot just say, okay so half full is how we should look at things. No. We have to go even further in our observation and realize that the glass is actually 100 percent full: 50 percent with water and 50 percent with air.
88. John had the best voice. The most interesting voice, let's put it that way.
89. I have a big job in addition to music: to keep his voice going.
90. We are all gurus now.
91. It was such a waste that he had to go when he was forty.
87. There is a saying that a glass is half empty or half full, depending on how you look at it. Well, we all know that one. But we cannot just say, okay so half full is how we should look at things. No. We have to go even further in our observation and realize that the glass is actually 100 percent full: 50 percent with water and 50 percent with air.
88. John had the best voice. The most interesting voice, let's put it that way.
89. I have a big job in addition to music: to keep his voice going.
90. We are all gurus now.
91. It was such a waste that he had to go when he was forty.
92. There was an incredible power that was against me. And that power, I hope I was able to use it to do something good. Power is power. It's energy. And if you get big, big energy, you can use that in a good way.
93. I think John was a little more negative than I was.
94. Is truth always positive? Of course. Once the truth comes out, you know, it's all right. We're scared that if the truth comes out that it's not all right. It's the other way around.
95. I go to the park on Sundays. And I see men pushing babies. And it's beautiful. They don't know that John was the first one to do that. The very first one. No man would be caught doing that before John.
96. You can be very wild and still be very wise.
97. We thought that we were punks.
98. Paul, musically, is extremely knowledgeable as well. He's just as quick to write songs. He's just different, that's all.
99. There are conspiracy theories. I'm not saying it was definitely just a deranged person.
100. There is within me this feeling of guilt because I couldn't stop it.
101. Back then, we didn't know anything, really. I look at videos and everyone is smoking. It's sort of annoying now.
102. Be understanding of one another. Be willing to compromise.
103. Even when we are arguing with each other, our hearts are beating in unison.
104. He was an obsessive artist in a way. He would do it on the plane, even. He was like that.
105. His songs were like diaries. The same goes with his drawings. He was just using his life as objects for his creativity.
106. I always was so involved in what I love to do. Somehow I always did what I loved to do and did my best with it.
107. I am taking care of myself. I'm trying to keep myself centered.
108. I come from a culture where calligraphy is art.
109. I don't really club around. I love dancing, but I'm a bit shy.
110. I have a lot of weaknesses, but I was not particularly ashamed of that.
111. I have three or four different hats to wear.
112. I just like the fans to know that I'm doing my best.
113. I never thought we should repeat. Repeating is just like water when it stops flowing, it becomes muddy.
114. I think there was a kind of relief that I wasn't with John anymore.
115. I was rather concerned that maybe I'd be subjected to ageism by the world, but then I realized, it was alright.
116. I was really in an ivory tower. Being with John, I connected myself to the world, rather than looking inside myself.
117. I'm feeling very lucky that I'm still working.
118. I'm totally focused on my present life. Otherwise, you my life would go haywire.
119. Imagine is a very powerful statement that will live inside the children, and it will help them.
120. It was a very tragic way that John and I were separated. But we were separated.
121. It was not just John, some of the other guys were having some thoughts about the band, so it happened.
122. It's a little bit different when I go dancing now. I miss the days when I could just anonymously go out and dance.
123. It's a lonely game. When I first did the band, everybody just smirked and laughed and put me down.
124. It's a very difficult time for all of us, and love is getting more scarce in a way. Love is not going around too much.
125. John had a sense of humor. He wanted to make it a fun thing to learn Japanese.
126. John understood it. People thought I was crazy. He was an intelligent guy. He didn't take fools easily.
127. John's records have been being released one every year. I go to London, to Abbey Road Studios, to help remix it.
128. Most children, even when they're 5 or 6, know the lyrics of Imagine. It's an amazing world.
129. The last few years, people have started to enjoy my work. It's very rewarding.
130. There's an album I put out in two versions with John, "Out to the Lions". It's unfinished music.
What do you think of Yoko Ono's quotes?
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