Ira Glass Quotes

After 'A Love Extreme,' I thought I must do something that stands up to that - at least. I can't top it. You should never attempt to top something that is magical, because that's just bad magic.

When I start writing songs, and they come easily, I'm always very suspicious. That usually means they're reminding me of something I've already done before. When the songs become unsettling, and I feel anxious about what I'm doing, that usually means it's going to be more interesting later on when we actually record the stuff.

I've always had good songs, it's the great songs that are difficult to find.

Comfort is the enemy of the artist.

I just don't know what makes a picture, really - the thing that makes it is something unique, as far as I can understand. Just like one guy can write a sentence and it's beautiful and another one can write it and it's dead. What the difference is, I don't know.

Sometimes I think creativity is magic; it's not a matter of finding an idea, but allowing the idea to find you.

When I'm writing new material, I never have any trouble coming up with ideas.

There is a great quote from a female writer. She said, 'If you don't break out in a sweat of fear when you write, you are not writing well enough. I tend to agree. I think my best pictures come when I push myself.

If an artist may say nothing except what he has invented by his own sole efforts, it stands to reason he will be poor in ideas. If he could take what he wants wherever he could find it, as Euripides and Dante and Michelangelo and Shakespeare and Bach were free, his larder would always be full, and his cookery might be worth tasting.

An artist paints, dances, draws, writes, designs, or acts at the expanding edge of consciousness. We press into the unknown rather than the known. This makes life lovely and lively.

That's writing for you: when you make space for passion, it doesn't turn up.

Creating things I think, especially as an actor - wanting to bring to the table things that have never been done before, but also making sure they're of high quality and not having a fear.

They say to just write about what's happening in your backyard because that's where you find the most creativity. It's in the DNA of the show. There's no question.

Great writers create; writers of smaller gifts copy

My favourite music is the music I haven't yet heard. I don't hear the music I write: I write in order to hear the music I haven't yet heard.

Creativity is an act of defiance.

Anytime something becomes a success in this way you always get imitators. I'm an imitator of the guys I love. I imitate people like Frank Miller, who is a huge inspiration to me.

A classic is a classic for a reason. Let's try to create new classics. The idea of repeating ourselves drives me a little crazy.

Creativity has nothing to do with any activity in particular - with painting, poetry, dancing, singing. It has nothing to do with anything in particular.

Artists aren't looking for you to write them something; they're looking for you to give them something new.

Our best work can't possibly appeal to the average masses, only our average work can. Finding the humility to happily walk away from those that don't get it unlocks our ability to do great work.

Creativity gives new forms, new patterns, new ideas, new art forms. And we don't know where creativity comes from. Is it inspired from above? Welling up from below? Picked up from the air? What? Creativity is a mystery wherever you encounter it.

Of the truly creative no one is ever master; it must be left to go its own way.

Whenever I'm making something, the challenge is always to create something that's interesting for me to listen to.

I have no imagination; I just steal from life and change the color. Then it's a comic book.