Steve Earle Thinking Quotations

I don't really think in terms of obstacles. My biggest obstacle is always myself.

I don't think I'm a political songwriter as much as I am just a political person. I think it's in my fabric.

I think it's obvious that democracy is something that is contagious, and it always has been.

I think the criticism that I take to heart is from other writers that I respect.

We're Americans. I don't consider us to be evil, I just don't think we know any better. We're a really young culture. We're hillbillies, and the rest of the world sees us that way. I travel all over the world, and probably the only worse rednecks than us are the Australians. And they're an even younger country.

I think the music business is changing. Artists that don't want to tour and just want to collect royalty checks and stay home are not going to be able to do that.

Part of it is, I think, just to let people know you've got a record out there and that you're still alive requires more work than it used to, because the traditional radio, bug chains of record stores, all of that, that doesn't exist anymore.

The stupidest thing that a writer can do is write a memoir I think, unless it's right before you die -- maybe.

I don't type fast. I type with three fingers - two on one hand, and I only get one going on the other. I think my thumb's in there, but I'm not sure. I may be no better than an orangutan when it comes to that.

Maybe I'm not as big a star as Bruce Springsteen because I'm not as good. I don't know. It doesn't matter. I still have an audience of a certain size. I think it's one of the things I'm luckiest.