I thought the first two seasons of America's Got Talent were good. I think this one is the best one by a mile because they - you see the difference this year, I think, with the crowd being effectively the fourth judge. But most importantly, I think that these shows have to have a relevance because if you're not finding stars at the back of these shows - whether it's Idol or Got Talent - they're a complete waste of time.

Simon Cowell

Categorized in : Thinking Years Stars

My advice would be if you want to pursue a career in the music business, don't.

Simon Cowell

careers would-be advice

Work hard, be patient, and be a sponge while learning your business. Learn how to take criticism. Follow your gut instincts and don't compromise.

Simon Cowell

patient hard-work criticism

The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated. Kids turn up unrehearsed, wearing the wrong clothes, singing out of tune and you can either say, "Good job" and patronize them or tell them the truth, and sometimes the truth is perceived as mean.

Simon Cowell

jobs mean kids

That was extraordinary. Unfortunately, extraordinarily bad.

Simon Cowell

extraordinary

If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.

Simon Cowell

singing sight people

Good is not enough. You've got to be great.

Simon Cowell

life-lesson enough motivational

It would hurt my feelings if I respected your opinions.

Simon Cowell

opinion hurt feelings

I think you have to judge everything based on your personal taste. And if that means being critical, so be it. I hate political correctness. I absolutely loathe it.

Simon Cowell

hate mean thinking

The best way to kill someone is from the inside, by crushing their hopes and dreams.

Simon Cowell

crush dream way

I want people to understand that from the minute Lady Gaga arrived, she created a new set of rules: being different is good; embrace it.

Simon Cowell

being-different want people

My dad did teach me a very important lesson about people when he explained to me that everybody around you will have an invisible sign on their head, which says, "Make me feel important."

Simon Cowell

dad important people

Not everybody is perfect, and I don't think we should be looking for perfect people.

Simon Cowell

perfect people thinking

Money brings you security and choice. You can make decisions in a different way if you have a lot of money. But when you have nothing, you have a naivety, and a more fearless attitude because you have nothing to lose.

Simon Cowell

choices decision attitude

What I would argue in my defence is that shows like Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor have actually got people more interested in music again and are sending more people into record stores.

Simon Cowell

records arguing people

I think America is a hard nut to crack. But once you get a toehold, it's a great place for an entrepreneur because people are so enthusiastic, and you have the most enthusiastic audiences in world.

Simon Cowell

nuts america thinking

For the music business, social networking is brilliant. Just when you think it's doom and gloom and you have to spend millions of pounds on marketing and this and that, you have this amazing thing now called fan power. The whole world is linked through a laptop. It's amazing. And it's free. I love it. It's absolutely brilliant.

Simon Cowell

doom-and-gloom marketing thinking

I never knew how much love and pride I would feel.

Simon Cowell

much-love pride feels

I've had Botox, but then again pretty much everyone I know has. To me, Botox is no more unusual than toothpaste. It works. You do it once a year - who cares?

Simon Cowell

botox who-cares years

The object of this competition is not to be mean to the losers but to find a winner. The process makes you mean because you get frustrated.

Simon Cowell

frustrated competition mean

I don't want to tell a 15 or 14 year old what they should be doing. I want them to tell me. And that's what I got when I met Justin Bieber for the first time.

Simon Cowell

want years firsts