I learned the truth at seventeen, That love was meant for beauty queens, And high school girls with clear skinned smiles, Who married young and then retired. Janis Ian More Quotes by Janis Ian More Quotes From Janis Ian At the end of the day, all you can hope for is to go on. The older I get, the more I realize that just keeping on keeping on is what life's all about. Janis Ian realizing the-end-of-the-day goes-on The best thing you can learn from the worst times of your life is that it always gets better. It may take a month, a year, a decade, but it will get better if you leave yourself open to it. Janis Ian worst-times get-better years Libraries are a hallmark of a civilized culture, and librarians represent that culture to all facets of society. Janis Ian librarian library culture Those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces, desperately remained at home, inventing lovers on the phone. Janis Ian phones grace home There will always be those people who are just backward and ignorant. There will always be those people. They need somebody to feel superior to. Janis Ian ignorant people needs I love seeing teachers outside of school. It's like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs. Janis Ian mean-girls dog teacher I started 'Society's Child' on a bus in East Orange as I was going home from school. I saw a black and white couple sitting there and started thinking about it. Janis Ian couple home children I think I grew up, stopped worrying about what people thought of me, and whether things were going to turn out OK. I'm concentrating on doing the best work I can do and letting it go at that. Janis Ian worry people thinking I write a lot from instinct. But as you're writing out of instinct, once you reach a certain level as a songwriter, the craft is always there talking to you in the back of your head...that tells you when it's time to go to the chorus, when it's time to rhyme. Real basic craft... it's second nature. Janis Ian real writing talking I feel I was born with the music coming to me, and that's not something to be wasted. Janis Ian born feels I bought all my friends guitars and I had a good time with my money. But then one day the IRS came knocking. Janis Ian irs guitar one-day It's neat to have finally reached a point where I can accept what I was and what I am. Janis Ian neat accepting i-can It seems to be part of the human condition to need someone you can look down on. I still don't get that one. Janis Ian human-condition looks needs That's an amazing moment, the first time you hear yourself on radio. It's still thrilling. Janis Ian radio moments firsts At the end of the day, if you don't have a record contract, a studio or a guitar, you can still write songs. You're still an artist. That's something no one can take away. Janis Ian artist writing song Society's Child' was a real hard record to start with. That's all you want is for you to put your first record out and have people screaming at you in the streets. But it taught me right away that what I was doing was valuable and important. Janis Ian real children people I don't pretend to be an expert on intellectual property law, but I do know one thing. If a music industry executive claims I should agree with their agenda because it will make me more money, I put my hand on my walletand check it after they leave, just to make sure nothing's missing. Janis Ian law missing hands I know just enough Japanese to get by if I get lost and greet an audience properly, just from having a lot of Japanese friends and being there over the years. Janis Ian being-there enough years I think one of the reasons musicians keep doing what they do and writers keep doing what they do, is that we're totally unsuited for anything else. And I for one am much too lazy. Janis Ian lazy musician thinking When you’re young, the goal is to have a hit. You get a little older and the goal becomes to get to make another record. Janis Ian records goal littles
