Joni Mitchell Quotes

“Whatever it was that I felt was the weak link in my previous project gave me inspiration for the next one.”
― Joni Mitchell in a 1979 interview with Cameron Crowe

“I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all”
― Joni Mitchell

“If you're smart or rich or lucky
Maybe you'll beat the laws of man
But the inner laws of spirit
And the outer laws of nature
No man can
No, no man can...”
― Joni Mitchell

“You could write a song about some kind of emotional problem you are having, but it would not be a good song, in my eyes, until it went through a period of sensitivity to a moment of clarity. Without that moment of clarity to contribute to the song, it's just complaining.”
― Joni Mitchell

“A classic song has much mystery as well as mastery in its form; it sits still in the mind, throwing light on the past and the future, often bringing tears to our eyes, for it reaches into deep emotional wells that are often forgotten in the rush of the moment. The songs that touch me are on a very high level in terms of form and classic structure, and “Both Sides Now” has all of the requirements to make it irresistible.”
― Judy Collins, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music

“I have always had a soft spot for Canadian writers. There is something expansive and yet intimate about their songs, broad as the northwestern plains and as comfortable as having a cup of coffee out on a pinewood porch with a friend. From Ed McCurdy to Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen, from Joni Mitchell to Ian and Sylvia Tyson, hearing their songs is hearing the truth. And, as the man says, “when you’ve heard the truth, the rest is just cheap whiskey.”
― Judy Collins, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music