I feel this real sense of gratitude that I've actually been able to have a career and have more than one song that people know. I'm really proud of that, you know, those songs gave me a life and a way to take care of my family... and it's fun. I never thought in a million years that I would ever get to play music for a living. That's something that never fades from me.

John Rzeznik

It's better to have a pocket full of regrets than to never have lived.

John Rzeznik

pockets regret

Whenever I get upset, I remember that it takes 42 muscles to frown and only 4 to stick up your middle finger.

John Rzeznik

upset sticks remember

If Life hands you a lemon, throw it at someone

John Rzeznik

lemons ifs hands

I really believe that women have much easier access to their souls than men do. Because as men we're taught to wear masks, to drown out our emotions in competition and making money. Now women are being forced to do that too. But I admire their capacity to bear their spirituality so much more deeply than men.

John Rzeznik

competition men believe

When I was 18, there were 50 people that I called my friends. Today, there are only three, but I'm glad to have those three. If you have three people that you can really call your friends, then you truly have it made.

John Rzeznik

three today people

I'm amazed that I can sit down, put a guitar in my hands and start playing kind of free style, and it will be four hours later and it will feel like it's been five minutes. I think that adds depth to your being, when something in your life can do that for you. Everybody should try to find something in their life that can do that for them. People find really elaborate self-destructive ways of killing time on this planet. That's why they take drugs or drink, trying to alter their state of being. If you can find something that doesn't destroy you, but deepens your character, you're really lucky.

John Rzeznik

guitar character thinking

With every decision you make in your life, you're going to have some regrets about the way it goes. You just have to chose which set of regrets you can live with the best, and try to minimize the amount of regrets you have.

John Rzeznik

decisions-you-make regret trying

When I'm around people who are incredibly passionate about what they're doing, people who live their lives in a more selfless way than most people. That's when I'm inspired. That's what I aspire to do and be.

John Rzeznik

selfless passionate people

Scars are souvenirs you never lose, the past is never far, did you lose yourself somewhere out there, did you get to be a star, and don't it make you sad to know that life is more than who you are?

John Rzeznik

scar stars past

I just want you to know who I am.

John Rzeznik

who-i-am knows want

Marriage is a really scary thing. I'm excited about it. I know it's not a mistake, it's the absolute right thing to do. I'm really happy about it. I really, really love my fiancee. We're good friends and I think it's going to work. But that's just the point - it's going to take work. It does make me feel vulnerable to be like, wow, I'm committed to this person for the rest of my life.

John Rzeznik

good-friend mistake thinking

People who have nothing to say, speak the loudest.

John Rzeznik

speak people

You grew up way too fast and now there's nothing to believe; and re-runs all become our history.

John Rzeznik

running life believe

The fear of rejection really kind of stunts your growth as a person. I mean, it's like a friend of mine says, who cares if you fail? Who cares if you fail? It's like babies try to get up and walk all the time and they keep falling down. If we just gave up, we'd all be crawling around.

John Rzeznik

baby mean fall

I wasn't good at sports and I needed a way to make girls like me.

John Rzeznik

girl sports way

If you find yourself perplexed, or perhaps in a quandary, remember that human growth is perpendicular. We grow up and we grow forward, we just have to keep on growing steadily in both ways.

John Rzeznik

finding-yourself growing-up growth

I have this rule: It's like, if you write an amazing, cool song that you mean and then you go put your leather pants on and sing it in front of people; that's OK. But if you put your leather pants on and stand in front of the mirror and go, "Ok, I've got to write a song to fit these pants," then you're in trouble.

John Rzeznik

writing song mean

There are a lot of reasons to be hated in pop culture, and being a straight white male is one of them. In fact, I almost hate me

John Rzeznik

males hate white

It's such a thrill to perform live. You never know if you're going to get hit with a bottle or a bra.

John Rzeznik

thrill bras bottles

Nobody likes to hear a f**king rock star talk about his problems

John Rzeznik

rocks stars kings