Conor Oberst

The worst thing you can do as an artist is to repeat yourself.

I like ideas, but I don't like being preached to.

It's dangerous to buy into praise and criticism for what you do when you're trying to present your music to people. I don't ignore it completely, but I don't dwell on it too much.

There's a very fine line between one person's reality and another person's fantasy.

If there's a song that stops meaning anything to me, then I'll quit playing it.

You can only really understand good if you have bad, so the idea of heaven or anything that happens for eternity, even if it's nice, I can't imagine it being nice forever. Even the idea of forever is kind of ridiculous, which is unfortunate because it's kind of a nice thing to say, you know.

I think there's a danger, for me at least, in retreating and going inward and depression. I have to stay diligent against that tendency.

When you're 16 or 17, I think like most people that age, the first time you experience certain things in life, whether it's heartbreak or death or love, obviously it's going to seem like a much bigger deal.

I like the Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park. I love how it's been rained on forever and looks worn down by time.

I think in a lot of ways unconditional love is a myth. My mom's the only reason I know it's a real thing.

I enjoy recording and performing, but it's the songwriting that I love most.

We must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul.