"I'm always trying to reach a transcendent point, a romantic point, but reach it in a really unconventional way, a really profane way. To get to that romantic, touching, heartbreaking place, but through a lot of acts of profanity."

"Men are destroyed for being rebellious, and women destroy themselves by failing to be rebellious. Unless you can make that next jump to either getting along with people or resisting people, you are ultimately destroying yourself."

"Do you remember when you were 10 or 11 years old and you really thought your folks were the best? They were completely omniscient and you took their word for everything. And then you got older and you went through this hideous age when suddenly they were the devil, they were bullies, and they didn't know anything."

"If anything I try to write something that would be more difficult to film. I tend to see film as competition and would like instead to do what books do best."

"I'm a workaholic. Before long I'm traveling on my nervous energy alone. This is incredibly exhausting."

"I didn't realize what an impact having a No. 1 single would have. It connects me with people of different ages, and I get to travel all over the world."

"I think it can be fun to be single and date-like when you don't want a relationship. Or when you've just gotten out of a relationship, and, after get over the initial shock, your thinking, Hey, it's kind of cool being single."

"The best part about being alone is that you really don't have to answer to anybody. You do what you want."