Lemmy Kilmister Quotes & Sayings

A kid once said to me "Do you get hangovers?" I said, "To get hangovers you have to stop drinking. — Lemmy Kilmister

People changing because they think they should is not a good idea, because I just don't think they should, really. — Lemmy Kilmister

I don't understand people who believe that if you ignore something, it'll go away. That's completely wrong - if it's ignored it gathers strength. Europe ignored Hitler for twenty years. As a result he slaughtered a quarter of the world! — Lemmy Kilmister

In my life so far, I have discovered that there are really only two kinds of people: those who are for you, and those who are against you. Learn to recognize them, for they are often and easily mistaken for each other. — Lemmy Kilmister

Inherited hatred (i.e. hatred your parents schooled you in) is not only stupid, it is destructive - why make your only driving force hate? Seems really f***ing dumb to me. — Lemmy Kilmister

If you didn't do anything that wasn't good for you it would be a very dull life. What are you gonna do? Everything that is pleasant in life is dangerous. Have you noticed that? I'd like to find the bastard that thought that one up. — Lemmy Kilmister

What happened in New York and Washington is the same thing that England and America did to Berlin every day for three years during World War II
and Germany did the same thing to England. — Lemmy Kilmister

That was a great time, the summer of '71 - I can't remember it, but I'll never forget it! — Lemmy Kilmister

Reading's the only thing that allows you to use your imagination. — Lemmy Kilmister

Apparently people don't like the truth, but I do like it; I like it because it upsets a lot of people. If you show them enough times that their arguments are bullshit, then maybe just once, one of them will say, 'Oh! Wait a minute - I was wrong.' I live for that happening. Rare, I assure you — Lemmy Kilmister

Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good. — Lemmy Kilmister

It seems that our brave new world is becoming less tolerant, spiritual and educated than it ever was when I was young. — Lemmy Kilmister

There are a lot of good books around. People don't read any more. It's a sad state of affairs. Reading's the only thing that allows you to use your imagination. When you watch films it's someone else's vision, isn't it? — Lemmy Kilmister

I don't see why there should be a point where everyone decides you're too old. I'm not too old, and until I decide I'm too old I'll never be too fucking old. — Lemmy Kilmister

My entire social life is spent in bars, so I don't see giving up drinking as a viable option. Could you see me saying, 'Tomato juice please?' — Lemmy Kilmister

Born to lose. Live to win. — Lemmy Kilmister

The only interesting thing about religion is how many people it's slaughtered. Communism and Nazism are religions as well, make no mistake about it. — Lemmy Kilmister

If you're going to be a fucking rock star go be one. People don't want to see the guy next door on stage; they want to see a being from another planet. You want to see somebody you'd never meet in ordinary life. — Lemmy Kilmister

My ethic is: 'Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.' You can be as careful as you want, but you're going to die anyway, so why not have fun? — Lemmy Kilmister

People who work in a factory, right, or some awful fucking mind-numbing job like that - 'cause I worked in a factory, I know what it's like; it's fucking awful, yeah? Most people have to do that kind of job that they hate every day of their lives. Can you imagine what that must be like? You have to submerge your intellect completely, right, and just, y'know, che cha, y'know, and all that. So, at the weekend, they want to hear something that tears the heart out of 'em and gives it back better. — Lemmy Kilmister

Integrity is everything to me. I will not die ashamed. I will live on my deathbed knowing that I gave it my best shot, and everything else is meaningless to me. — Lemmy Kilmister

The only time I've seen any rebellion was in the fifties, sixties and early seventies. The rest of it you can keep. — Lemmy Kilmister

It will be funny in about 10 years. — Lemmy Kilmister

Sex, death and war. And justice. There's no shortage of lyrics there. — Lemmy Kilmister

As you go through life's rich tapestry, you realize that most people you meet aren't fit to shine your shoes. It's a sad fact, but it's true. A good friend is someone who'd hide you if you were on the run for murder. How many of them do you know? — Lemmy Kilmister

I don't do regrets. Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it. — Lemmy Kilmister

This entire generation seems to have become pussies, you know? Nobody seems to enjoy themselves much anymore.They are all knocking each other down for enjoying themselves. — Lemmy Kilmister

People don't read any more. It's a sad state of affairs. Reading's the only thing that allows you to use your imagination. When you watch films it's someone else's vision, isn't it?
[Interview in The Independent, 15 October 2005] — Lemmy Kilmister

All you got in life is your honor, man, your own self-image, your own self-respect. If you lose that, or if you give it away or if you sell it, then you ain't got it no more. — Lemmy Kilmister

If there is a God he hasn't been paying attention. He should retire and hand over to a younger man, because he's making a real bollocks of everything. — Lemmy Kilmister

Don't look to me. Don't ask for help. Don't ask for anything that you can do yourself — Lemmy Kilmister

You haven't been soiling your soul in public for years like we have. — Lemmy Kilmister

Home is in here [tapping temple]. Where you live is just a geographical preference. — Lemmy Kilmister

If you think you are too old to rock 'n roll, then you are. — Lemmy Kilmister

Safe sex, safe music, safe clothing, safe hair spray, safe ozone layer. Too late! Everything that's been achieved in the history of mankind has been achieved by not being safe. — Lemmy Kilmister

The Beatles were hard men too. Brian Epstein cleaned them up for mass consumption, but they were anything but sissies. They were from Liverpool, which is like Hamburg or Norfolk, Virginia
a hard, sea-farin' town, all these dockers and sailors around all the time who would beat the piss out of you if you so much as winked at them. Ringo's from the Dingle, which is like the f***ing Bronx. The Rolling Stones were the mummy's boys
they were all college students from the outskirts of London. They went to starve in London, but it was by choice, to give themselves some sort of aura of disrespectability. I did like the Stones, but they were never anywhere near the Beatles
not for humour, not for originality, not for songs, not for presentation. All they had was Mick Jagger dancing about. Fair enough, the Stones made great records, but they were always s**t on stage, whereas the Beatles were the gear. — Lemmy Kilmister