Tom Waits Quotes

My eccentricity became direction.

I'm thankful for weird people out there 'cause they're some of the most creative people.

Where's your will to be weird?

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.

One man's style must not be the rule of another's.

I appreciate people who sway to the beat of their own tambourine, like Iris Apfel and Helena Bonham Carter.

Eccentricity is not, as some would believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.

Stay Weird, Stay Different.

I discovered very early that it wasn't quite enough for me to imitate people.

I want to wear something that's not perfectly matching; there has to be something unorthodox about it. I want to create this mystery.

People should be a little loony, Helena. That's the best thing about them.

I'm not trying to stay in the same place and I'm not trying to compete with what's currently in fashion. That would be dishonest. But, at the same time, I'm different and the music reflects that to some degree.

Forget about trying to compete with someone else. Create your own pathway. Create your own new vision.

Everybody has their own style. If you went to the movies every week and everybody acted the same way Tom Cruise did, boy, wouldn't that suck?

Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

I'm so proud to be on a Kate Bush record; she's always marched to the beat of her own drum.

Some of the most wonderful people are the ones who don't fit into boxes.

I never liked to copy things that are out there. I always like to come up with something new, something different.

I'd hate it if everyone in the world liked me, my music and what I wore. It'd make it boring, and I wouldn't have anything to work towards. It's not to everyone's taste, but I can only be me.

I find only freedom in the realms of eccentricity.

I used to be teased for the way I wore my hair at school. I used to do things like wear a different-colored sock on each leg.

What was previously perceived as nerdy is now viewed as original. What I like about nerdiness, geekiness, is it doesn't really matter what you're into - it just means you're not a follower.

I'm an artist, and I'm a bit weird, and I'm probably a bit eccentric.

I'm constantly trying to be as original as I can.

I've always been schizophrenic; I've never been interested in limiting myself.