Walter Kirn Quotes

I don't think that you can fake warmth. You can fake lust, jealousy, anger; those are all quite easy. But actual, genuine warmth? I don't think you can fake it.

Personally, I didn't think there was anything wrong with sadness. Just the opposite – hypocrisy made people happy and truth made them sad.

Out of five hundred who speak glibly of love, not one can spell the first letter of his name.

Ed is very sexy because his emotions are really there - not forced.

The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.

I don't think you should try to be anything you're not. If you're not smiling all the time or always happy - I don't think it matters. If you're having bad day, show you're having a bad day. Don't try to put up something that's fake.

I've never been one of those to kind of like, 'I want somebody to do something against their nature to titillate me.' That never holds any interest. And I always want people to be who they are and if they're being not who they are I feel like it's false and, therefore, less easy to connect to. I don't need them to kiss or to display physical intimacy. I think that almost becomes too obvious. I love playing in the suggestive.

When a man says to me, "I have the intensest love of nature," at once I know that he has none.

I think that people respond to honesty in music, so I only choose songs that are the truth for me.

Do we mean love, when we say love?

It is important to express oneself... provided the feelings are real and are taken from your own experience.

I am interested in personal stories because that's when people become expressive, spontaneous and heartfelt.

The closer you stay to emotional authenticity and people, character authenticity, the less you can go wrong. That's how I feel now, no matter what you're doing.

Expressions of affection, like putting your arm around someone's shoulder, holding hands, or giving a kiss good night, involve the principle of honesty.

I'm just happy I'm not a phony.

Only the really plain people know about love - the very fascinating ones try so hard to create an impression that they soon exhaust their talents.

Because I hate fake people and I always think I'm never fake.

When you cry, you don't look very attractive; you look snotty and blotchy. People seem to manage to cry quite prettily these days, and to me, that smacks of not being very genuine.

In my eyes, I think it's important that if you're doing something you're proud of and that is genuine and authentic, you have a responsibility to bring that to as many people as possible, just for the sheer reason that there are musicians out there who are manufacturing emotions that aren't genuine.

What I say is from my heart. You must be sincere. So when I sing a song, people are supposed to feel it.

Platitudes are safe, because they're easy to wink at, but truth is something else again.

I just really like it when things are earnest.

I hate the expression, 'I'm not fake.'

I think it's impossible to be up close with people and to ask them to let you in if you're fake.

I don't go out there and put on any sort of front for people. If I'm in a good mood, I appear in a good mood on TV, and if I'm in a bad mood, I just go out there and look like I'm in a bad mood.