James Lipton Quotes

There are times I've been surprised by how emotional I can be on stage.

I am stronger than words and I am bigger than the box I'm in, and then I see her in the crowd and I fall apart -I am listening and I am listening because what I'm playing isn't something I'm thinking about, it's something I'm feeling all over.

Any 'artist' makes a living by expressing what others can't - because they're unaware of their feelings, they're too afraid to express those feelings, or they lack the skills to communicate and be understood.

I feel everything very strongly, and I find that when I sing through music, it helps me connect to people.

My passion for painting is so sacred and personal to me.

I don't necessarily feel 100 per cent comfortable standing up on stage in front of lots of people, but I don't think most people would. It's a pretty bizarre thing to do. It can also be absolutely incredible having thousands of people singing back lyrics that you might have written in your bedroom or wherever.

I tend to lose myself in the moment. I’m not very good at holding back. I don’t know how to do this without feeling everything. My emotions are the tool I use to perform.

Rap helps me connect emotionally.

I'm just basically spillin' out my emotions to the world. 'Cause rap is about emotion. And I want you to feel what I'm feelin', 'cause that's what it's all about.

Writing for yourself is like exposing your diary. It can be a little embarrassing at times, but if it helps somebody get through the day just by hearing a song, it's well worth it.

I think a lot of singers are shy people. I suppose singing on stage is not like talking; you are not as exposed.

I love acting, but music is so much more rewarding because it's more personal.

I think in real life most of us don't know how to communicate our deepest feelings very well.

As a stand up, and often in acting, there is no place for the most intense feelings. Rage, genuine sorrow, naked hope... These things don't fit on a comedy stage and if you act you'll get to express them once in a while. Music is a place for the intensely personal.

With music, you're really showing someone a piece of your soul. You're saying, 'This is mine. I wrote this, I made this, I'm performing this. This is how I'm presenting it to you.' There's something really scary about that, but there's also something next-worldly about it, too.

I put my emotions in my music and I want people to relate to that.

Music has always been profoundly important to me.

The reason I write is that I'm not in dialogue with my emotions; writing puts me in touch with myself.

I think maybe even one of the reasons I became an actor was actually to hide. I mean, it sounds paradoxical because, of course, people are standing up in a public place and encouraging other people to look at them. So that's not the conventional definition of hiding.

My darlings, if I can't write dark, epic music, I can't live!

When you're on stage singing, you're naked. Your voice is something very intimate, and that's why I'm scared every time before I perform. It doesn't matter if I'm singing for a king or a queen or the Pope, it's enough to be in front of anybody. I suffer, but I can't do anything about it.

I think I'm drawn to writing about something which feels intense and important.

I have shared my whole life. My private and my show business life. It helps me actually to feel my songs and to go on with my dreams.

I struggled with being in the public eye, losing my anonymity when my star rose quickly in the late 90's. But I need the challenge of showing up and getting up there to spill my guts and connect with my loyal folks.

I am a sentimental guy, and occasionally, that lump in my throat when I speak has stopped my tongue from working.