Carly Simon

I sought some kind of freedom in music, in the promise of transcendence and the idea that the purity and the innocence of a mythical god could somehow deliver me from darkness.

[Ben Taylor] He is an interesting combination of the two of us. His voice box is more like mine but the way his tongue sits in his mouth, and the way he pronounces words, is just like James Taylor.

As a child I used to read Gone with the Wind over and over again. I wanted to be Scarlett O’Hara. I never wanted to believe that it was possible that there could be infidelity. I never wanted to be believe that it was even possible for a man to look another way, even for a moment. My bubble of monogamy was pierced in a harsh way.

You can repeat the mistakes of your parents’ marriage or you can go out of your way not to repeat them.

One of the things about creativity is you can be in denial about these things. When I found out I had cancer, there were four hours in which I was pounding my head on the marble kitchen top saying, “I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it.” But then I felt as if this little army in uniform was flooding me. They had come to help me fight it. I felt really strong about it after that. It was one of the strongest periods of my life.

Actually, I think the more Ben [Taylor] sings, the less like James he sounds.

I don’t understand how in my parents’ age, it was ’til death do us part, and in mine it’s ’til cheating do us part, ’til lying do us part, ’til chemistry do us part, ’til disagreements do us part, ’til boredom do us part, ’til cowardice do us part. I just want what my parents have, that part.

It isn’t about how tall you are or how good-looking you are or whether or not you can play football. It’s about whether you can create a relationship.

A lot of people believe what other people say.

It’s like in golf… A lot of people – I don’t want this to sound trivial – but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive… it’s weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can’t sink three-footers anymore. And, I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist.

He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began.

If somebody put a loaded gun to my head & said call your wife the “c” word, i would just tell them to shoot cause it s a quicker death!

Business, you know, may bring money, but friendship hardly ever does.

I think men are afraid to be with a successful woman, because we are terribly strong, we know what we want and we are not fragile enough.

You can repeat the mistakes of your parents’ marriage or you can go out of your way not to repeat them.

Is it really possible to tell someone else what one feels?

I think you have different soul mates throughout your life, that your soul needs different things at different times.

It’s hard for a man to live with a successful woman – they seem to resent you so much. Very few men are generous enough to accept success in their women.

Breakups are a horrible thing for almost everybody I know. For someone who is a love addict, it’s debilitating.

I think when you get married, it’s not a totally free ride – it’s not without its unglamorous periods and its fights and its angry noons and silent dawns or vice-versa.

Bias has to be taught. If you hear your parents downgrading women or people of different backgrounds, why, you are going to do that.