Peart Quotes & Sayings

Lessons taught but never learned, all around us anger burns. Guide the future by the past. Long ago the mould was cast. — Neil Peart

Broken glass showered from the windows. Chunks of the walls bounced off the pavement and the cars parked along the curb, crushing into smaller pieces. The asphalt on the street split in places into long ribbon-like slashes. The ground continued rolling like the deck of a ship. The noise of the destruction, screams of terrified people, and the car alarms mixed into a concerto of horror. — A.O. Peart

Once I had defined myself as a compositional drummer, I thought, "Well, I want to be an improvisational drummer." — Neil Peart

Live for yourself there's no one else more worth living for. — Neil Peart

Was the deep, cold distinction between fantasy and reality: No consequences. — Neil Peart

They heard a deep murmur of voices, and this time not in their heads. Thousands of the ancient Spirits of both Realms swirled above them in anticipation of what was about to happen. — A.O. Peart

Too much attention and hoopla doesn't agree with my temperament. — Neil Peart

I'm a linear thinking agnostic, but not an atheist folks. — Neil Peart

And me, I've got to start all over. Not only build a new life, but construct a new person. I call my old self "that other guy," for I share nothing but his memories, and everything he ever liked I've had to discover all over again, one by one, so that I've held on to, for example, reading, motorcycling, and birdwatching, but I'm not yet sure about art or music (I can look at it or listen to it, but not with the same "engagement" I used to), and I have no interest in work, charity, world events, or anybody I don't know. In my present gypsy life, I encounter a lot of people every day, and some of them I instinctively like and respond to in a brief encounter at a gas station or small-town diner, but for the most part I look around at ugly and mean-spirited people and think, "Why are you alive? — Neil Peart

Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand ... prejudice, fear and ignorance walk hand-in-hand. — Neil Peart

Excitement is found along the road, not at the end, and likewise, peace is not a fixed point-except perhaps in the unwanted "rest in peace" sense. PEACE is the breathing space between destinations, between excitements, an occasional part of the journey, if you're lucky. PEACE is a space you move through very rarely, and very briefly-but your not allowed to stay there.
you have to keep moving, and go do what you do.
because you can ... — Neil Peart

I think everything I do has Howard Roark [hero of The Fountainhead] in it, you know, as much as anything. The person I write for is Howard Roark. — Neil Peart

Drumming completely eclipsed my life from age 13, when I started drum lessons. Everything disappeared. I'd done well in school up until that time. I was fairly adjusted socially up until that time. And I became completely monomania, obsessed all through my teens. Nothing else existed anymore. — Neil Peart

The reality is that my style of drumming is largely an athletic undertaking, and it does not pain me to realize that, like all athletes, there comes a time to ... take yourself out of the game. — Neil Peart

One likes to believe in the freedom of music. — Neil Peart

Her hair came undone and rose off her shoulders, quivering as if from a breeze. Static kept snapping through the strands, and Jasmira's eyes turned completely white. Her arms were covered in spiraled script. It crawled and twisted on her skin. The text shone burgundy. Single letters kept separating and slowly flaking off. They resembled tiny red fire sparks, burning brightly, and then disappearing all together. — A.O. Peart

It's interesting. I've known quite a few good athletes that can't begin to play a beat on the drum set. Most team sport is about the smooth fluidity of hand-eye coordination and physical grace, where drumming is much more about splitting all those things up. — Neil Peart

Penelope screamed incoherently in Erik's tight embrace. Kaliope sat on her heels, rocking back and forth, silent. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking. She was silent — A.O. Peart

You can't get away from yourself, or can you? So why are you trying to... — O. Stephen Peart

Don't try to change Doofus, let Doofus change you. — Neil Peart

One day I feel I'm on top of the world
And the next it's falling in on me
I can get back on
I can get back on
One day I feel I'm ahead of the wheel,
And the next it's rolling over me
I can get back on
I can get back on
It's a far cry from the world we thought we'd inherit
It's a far cry from the way we thought we'd share it — Neil Peart

All those losers I've crossed paths with have drained me clean from my positive energy. They took all the upbeat goodness right out of me and left me overanalyzing the possibility of dating ever again. — A.O. Peart

I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's as simple as that. — Neil Peart

There were tens of thousands of them; white and dark-skinned, adults and teenagers, some looking scared, some simply curious, the others - completely in awe, seeing the Summer Realm for the first time. — A.O. Peart

The records that I grew up listening to had feel, and the drummers that inspired me - like Stewart Copeland, Neil Peart, Phil Collins and Roger Taylor - all had their own voice and individual style. — Taylor Hawkins

I've heard the stories. Like, Eric Clapton said he wanted to burn his guitar when he heard Jimi Hendrix play. I never understood that because, when I went and saw a great drummer or heard one, all I wanted to do was practice. — Neil Peart

I'm a thinkin' my old man won't know de boys and de baby. Lor'! she's de biggest gal, now, - good she is, too, and peart, Polly is. She's out to the house, now, watchin' de hoe-cake. I 's got jist de very pattern my old man liked so much, a bakin'. Jist sich as I gin him the mornin' he was took off. Lord bless us! how I felt, dat ar morning!" Mrs. — Harriet Beecher Stowe

The government's only functions are to protect the rights of the individual; therefore, you need a police force and an army. — Neil Peart

The air smelled of blood, sweat, and anger. — A.O. Peart

I am a big fan of Dos Passos' stylistic ability, his poetic approach to prose, but the ideas presented in the songs are quite different from those which he exemplified. — Neil Peart

Performing live in front of an audience is such a matter of will - all of those things you can do just fine in your basement, suddenly you have to do them in front of hundreds or thousands of people, and it becomes a different matter entirely. — Neil Peart

Her lips twitched when she quietly read.
But if you fall
I will be there
To pick the pieces of your shattered soul
"Shattered," she murmured to herself. "Shattered soul? Isn't that too serious? No, I think he will get it." She continued to write.
And put them back together
I will solder them into a whole
With the heat of my love
I will stay. I will hold the time still. — A.O. Peart

You can twist perception
reality wont budge
you can raise objection
I won2t be judge and jury — Neil Peart

I don't know. I hope this is just a little fling, that's all." Georgeta shrugged, her eyes back on the Kindle. "We need to move the blankets more into the shade. The sun is creeping out from behind that tree, and I'm getting way too hot. Maybe we should go to Ray's Boathouse for lunch?"
"Lusia, relax. Georgeta's right - this might not last past next week." Bogdan looked from his girlfriend to Jatred and Jasmira, who now were passionately kissing in the water.
"You think?" Lusia motioned at the couple with her hand. "He's our Race's Prince. The Goddess will freak out. — A.O. Peart

Her dark hair glistened in the sun. Small, almost heart-shaped lips stayed motionless. The Amulet around her neck reflected sun rays, sending hundreds of tiny blue specks to dance on her half-covered breasts, bare shoulders, and neck. — A.O. Peart

I try not to repeat myself in fills in all the Rush songs unless it is something simple or something I feel is my own characteristic thing. — Neil Peart

You just become adaptable and try to lead a good life in ways that make sense, regardless. Because I know at the end of it, if I'm going to meet Jesus or Allah or Buddha, I'm going to be all right. — Neil Peart

Your soul is stained with the blood of the innocent, feel their pain — Neil Peart

Howard Roark stood as a role model for me - as exactly the way I already was living. Even at that tender age [18] I already felt that. And it was intuitive or instinctive or inbred stubbornness or whatever; but I had already made those choices and suffered for them. — Neil Peart

What is a master but a master student? And if that's true, then there's a responsibility on you to keep getting better and to explore avenues of your profession. — Neil Peart

No one gets to their heaven without a fight. — Neil Peart

Waiting for the winds of change to sweep the clouds away. Waiting for the rainbow's end to cast its gold your way ... You don't get something for nothing. You can't have freedom for free — Neil Peart

More a paraphrase than a quote, really, but it comes from a prayer which was stitched into a sampler above my grandmother's bed. It began like this: 'Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep ... ' — Neil Peart

But glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity. — Neil Peart

Perils of solitude #1: People talk to you. I'd rather listen. — Neil Peart

Innocence gave me confidence to go up against reality. — Neil Peart

Two down, a million more to go." She wiped the green blood off her face with the hem of her shirt and glanced around. — A.O. Peart

You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill. I will choose a path thats clear. I will choose Freewill. — Neil Peart

The rest of them moved toward the fence, in complete silence. Each of the teenagers jumped swiftly onto the iron spikes. With a blurry speed, they climbed up onto the sharp finials, and leaped down to the other side — A.O. Peart

Georgeta cleared her throat, and pushed herself deeper into the sofa cushion.
"You know Penelope Stephanopoulos, Jasmira's best friend?" she asked.
"That Greek redhead with an attitude bigger than the Parthenon?" Erik snorted. — A.O. Peart

You hit the Winter Prince, woman. Now you have to pay."
Her lips parted when he kissed her again, long and slow. "I like the price," she whispered, her voice echoing in his mind.
"This is just a down payment," Jatred murmured. "I will work out a payment plan for you. — A.O. Peart

If I have to travel, I'm going to travel my way and travel in the real world. And I'm going to have conversations every day with people in rest stops and people in gas stations and people in hotels and diners. That nourishes me. — Neil Peart

Next, she put her left eye close to the glass-like square. It scanned her retina with a slide of dim blue-light. Immediately after the scan was complete, the gate glided to the side, revealing a closet-sized dark chamber. — A.O. Peart

If you want something done right, just forget it. — Neil Peart

It's not the music you hear in your head that other people are going to hear. You have to be able to make it true enough to the image in your head, and that's where technique and technology come in, for sure, and knowledge. It's not true and will never be true that someone who knows nothing can sit in a basement and make great music. — Neil Peart

Two long lines of Shifters stretched over the field, standing unmoved. They expertly held composite bows at ready, various in origin and style. — A.O. Peart

I had come to appreciate the long open stretches of two-lane highway across the sagey sea and mountain-studded plateau of the Great Basin, but the towns and cities were another thing. I liked the natural face of Nevada, but was not as impressed by the human face. — Neil Peart

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted. Not so boldly charted, it's really just a question of your honesty. — Neil Peart

A few moments passed before he shrugged and said, "We can always start all over. — A.O. Peart

When I started playing, I played in R&B bands. I played James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and all that. — Neil Peart

When punk and new wave styles exploded in the late '70s, some established artists were nimble enough to respond to the changes around them. Some grumbled, "What am I supposed to do, forget how to play?", and continued to ride their dinosaurs into extinction, but others willingly adapted to the streamlining and back-to-basics urges of the times, without giving up all they had learned. Former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel, for example, or former Yes keyboardist Trevor Horn, continued to produce vital, influential music through the '80s and '90s. Ian Anderson has continued to lead Jethro Tull out of the '60s and '70s and quietly through the decades, making high quality music and finding a large enough audience to continue recording and touring worldwide. — Neil Peart

He often referred to Rush's three members - Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson, and Geddy Lee - as "the Holy Trinity" or "the Gods of the North. — Ernest Cline

How can anybody be enlightened?
Truth is after all so poorly lit — Neil Peart

Like a force of nature
Love can fade with the stars at dawn. — Neil Peart

The beasts' gruesome growls and roars unmistakably sounded like a dare. — A.O. Peart

It was actually drumming that gave me the stamina to get into sports later. I started playing drums at 13, and when I got to the international touring level ... I got interested in cross-country skiing, long-distance swimming, bicycling ... things that require stamina, not finesse. — Neil Peart

Hello girls! My boobies are curiously sticking their heads up, trying to see what vagina is so breathlessly talking about. — A.O. Peart

From the point of ignition.
To the final drive.
The point of the journey is not to arrive. — Neil Peart

She slammed into an invisible wall and flew back once more, landing on her back. She lay sprawled on the ground, trying to shift into her leopard form. But her enhancing Spirit held her firmly in the human body. — A.O. Peart

People say to me, 'Are you still excited when you go on tour?' Should I be excited about leaving my family? No, and no one should. It's as simple as that. If you put aside the fantasy of it, it is what it is and has to be done. And that's fine, and I pour my entire energy and enthusiasm into it, but of course, I'm of two minds about the whole idea. — Neil Peart

Anytime I have an idea, I'll make sure that I put it down so that when we do sit down to write an album, I don't have to dream it all out of thin air. I don't have to be creative on the spur of the moment, or spontaneously artistic. I just take advantage of whenever creativity strikes. — Neil Peart

When I'm riding my motorcycle, I'm glad to be alive. When I stop riding my motorcycle, I'm glad to be alive. — Neil Peart

She heard a low murmur of the far-away voices: a chant repeated over and over. — A.O. Peart

Her insanely high Christian Louboutin stilettos made a click-clacking sound on the airport floor. Amber rolled a small Louis Vuitton luggage bag behind her. She wore a baby-blue Chanel skirt suit, which made her look like an elegant celebrity. Her hair was long and blond today and pinned up into a perfectly smooth up-do. A pair of gold earrings in the shape of four-leaf clovers and a matching pendant completed the outfit. — A.O. Peart

I'm less comfortable in a gregarious social situation, and you can be introverted and still share everything. It just means that you're guarded. — Neil Peart

I want to be an improviser, and I've worked very hard at that. It's an art. You don't just play whatever comes into your head; you have to be very deliberate about what you do. — Neil Peart

I think, in music, you're always hoping that you'll have a like-minded audience and that the music you like making will appeal to them, too. — Neil Peart

I watched a storm pass to the north, trailing veils of dark rain. — Neil Peart

Playing a three-hour Rush show is like running a marathon while solving equations. — Neil Peart

Let your heart be the anchor and the beat of your song. — Neil Peart

Behind them the solemn-faced warriors stood, engraved into the vast double doors of the mansion. In front of them, the fountain lay broken into three large chunks and a mass of smaller rocks, scattered around. — A.O. Peart

They all felt it at once - the ground under their feet rolled. The lamps hanging from the ceiling swayed and flickered. A tower of plastic cups fell from the counter and landed on the floor. The cups rolled in all directions. Everyone rushed outside, the chairs scraping the floor, food abandoned on the tables. — A.O. Peart

If I do something weird, play it twice and it's a new part. — Neil Peart

If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice. — Neil Peart

It is impossible to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and be a Republican. It's philosophically absolutely opposed - if they could only think about what they were saying for a minute. That's when you get caught up in the webs of what people call themselves and how they behave. — Neil Peart

A low, angry growl hit Jatred's ears like a hammer. He turned and saw a massive figure crashing its way through the snow. Although he'd only seen the drawings of the Winter monsters, he knew it was a Garhanan. There was nothing pleasing in the way the creature looked, smelled, or sounded. Even its movements were horrid. A flat nose sat in the middle of the meaty face. The Garhanan's bushy white brows stuck out, shading small beady eyes. Its arms were muscular and swung down past its strong knees. The back, chest, and thighs were colossal too. The beast's whole body was covered in white, sparse, long fur.
"Great," Jatred snarled, his jaws clenching. He tried not to show how much Garhanan scared him. — A.O. Peart

If it's cross-country ski season, I'll be out doing that, or snowshoeing up in Quebec. In my California home, I go to the local Y and I like doing yoga. It's been hugely beneficial to me in injury avoidance. — Neil Peart

It seems to me that's the only way you can have a truly creative aggregate of people is if they're all contributing in different ways. — Neil Peart

To get nostalgic about other people's music, or even about your own, makes a terrible statement about the condition of your life and your prospects for the future. I have no patience with that kind of attitude, whether it's on radio or among friends. — Neil Peart

Jatred's white teeth flashed in an inviting smirk. To irritate the men even more, he motioned to them with his hand, ending the movement with a flip of his middle finger.
"Come and get it, grandpas," he hissed. — A.O. Peart

I always thought if I could just put something in words perfectly enough, people would get the idea, and it would change things. That's a harmless conceit. With people, too, you constantly think, 'If I'm nice to people and treat them well, they'll appreciate it and behave better.' They won't, but it's still not a bad way to live. — Neil Peart

If you've got a problem, take it out on a drum. — Neil Peart

From first to last, the peak is never passed. Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes. — Neil Peart

Better the pride that resides as a citizen of the world than a pride that divides when a colorful rag is unfurled — Neil Peart

I am the audience. I want to observe people. Even when I'm playing drums onstage, I'm watching people. I'm looking at them and their faces and their T-shirts and their signs. And travelling by motorcycle, especially, the world is just coming at me. — Neil Peart

I'm learning all the time. I'm evolving all the time as a human being. I'm getting better, I hope, in all of the important ways. — Neil Peart

Without knowing it, I had identified a subtle but important part of the healing process. There would be no peace for me, no life for me, until I learned to forgive life for what it had done to me, forgive others for still being alive, and eventually, forgive myself for being alive. — Neil Peart

The Goddess kneeled and slowly moved her hand over Jasmira's heart and the Amulet. "She's coming back. She carried a big burden. The Summer Race has a brave Queen, — A.O. Peart

I can worship Nature, and that fulfills my need for miracles and beauty. Art gives a spiritual depth to existence
I can find worlds bigger and deeper than my own in music, paintings, and books. And from my friends and family I receive the highest benediction, emotional contact, and personal affirmation. I can bow before the works of Man, from buildings to babies, and that fulfills my need for wonder. I can believe in the sanctity of Life, and that becomes the Revealed Word, to live my life as I believe it should be, not as I'm told to by self-appointed guides. — Neil Peart

All the world's indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another's audience outside the gilded cage — Neil Peart