John Lennon Quotes

A collection of quotes by John Lennon.

John Lennon was a renowned musician, singer, and songwriter who made groundbreaking contributions to the world of music and pop culture. Born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, Lennon gained global fame as a founding member of the iconic band, The Beatles. Playing a pivotal role in shaping the band's sound and image, he penned numerous timeless hits such as "Imagine," "Strawberry Fields Forever," and "Let It Be."

Lennon's impact extended beyond music as he became an influential figure in the peace movement of the 1960s and 1970s. His activism and strong advocacy for peace and social justice earned him immense respect and admiration. Lennon's unwavering commitment to these causes was reflected in his powerful anthem for peace, "Imagine," which is widely regarded as one of the most influential songs ever recorded.

Always a thought-provoking and controversial figure, Lennon used his platform to challenge norms and express his personal beliefs. He was not afraid to challenge the establishment and speak out against war, inequality, and injustice. Amidst his immense success, however, Lennon faced personal struggles, including his highly publicized marriage to Yoko Ono and his untimely death. On December 8, 1980, Lennon was tragically shot and killed outside his New York City home, leaving behind a timeless musical and cultural legacy.

Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.

Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.

Attitude

Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.

Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.

Attitude

Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.

Don't worry about the war. It's all over but the shooting.

Attitude

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious pla

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.

Love

You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.

You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die.

Peace

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.

God

Everything is clearer when you're in love.

Everything is clearer when you're in love.

Love

I'm not claiming divinity. I've never claimed purity of soul

I'm not claiming divinity. I've never claimed purity of soul. I've never claimed to have the answers to life. I only put out songs and answer questions as honestly as I can... But I still believe in peace, love and understanding.

Life Love Peace

I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to

I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people.

Life Change

The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of a

The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?

Society

God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

God

I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe i

I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?

Dreams

When you're thirty-five, you can't take as much booze ... an

When you're thirty-five, you can't take as much booze ... and I always got a little violent on drink...So it was kind of self-destructive suicide side of me, which is resolving itself for the better, I believe, because I never enjoyed it...

Drinking

It just was a gradual development over the years. I mean las

It just was a gradual development over the years. I mean last year was 'all you need is Love.' This year, it's 'all you need is Love and peace, baby.' Give peace a chance, and remember Love. The only hope for us is peace. Violence begets violence. You can have peace as soon as you like if we all pull together. You're all geniuses, and you're all beautiful. You don't need anyone to tell you who you are. You are what you are. Get out there and get peace, think peace, and live peace and breathe peace, and you'll get it as soon as you like.

Peace

The pressures of being a parent are equal to any pressure on

The pressures of being a parent are equal to any pressure on earth. To be a conscious parent, and really look to that little being's mental and physical health is a responsibility which most of us, including me, avoid most of the time, because it's too hard...To put it loosely, the reason why kids are crazy is because nobody can face the responsibility of bringing them up...

Parenting

Nobody controls me. I'm uncontrollable. The only one who can

Nobody controls me. I'm uncontrollable. The only one who can control me is me, and that's just barely possible. And that's the lesson I'm learning. If someone's going to impress me, whether it be a Maharishi or a Yoko, then there comes a point where the emperor has no clothes 'cause I'm naive, but I'm not stupid. For all you folks out there who think I'm having the wool pulled over my eyes, well, that's an insult to me. But if you think you know me, or you have some part of me because of the music, and then you think I'm being controlled like a dog on a leash because I do things with her, then screw you, brother or sister, you don't know what's happening. I'm not here for you, I'm here for me and her, and now the baby.

Control

For a long time I wasn't listening to music, to the rock and

For a long time I wasn't listening to music, to the rock and roll stuff on the radio, because it would cause me to get sweaty--it would bring back memories I didn't want to know about, or I would get that feeling that I'm not alive 'cause I'm not making it. And if it was good, I hated it 'cause I wasn't doing it. And if it was bad, I was furious 'cause I could've done it better...

Music

We've been on our peace gig, as we call it, for a year solid

We've been on our peace gig, as we call it, for a year solid. And people say, 'Do you think it's having any effect?' I can't answer that. It's like asking me in the Cavern, 'Are you gonna make it?' In the back of my mind I thought, I'm gonna make it, but I couldn't lay it on the line. And I think that peace is more tangible than Beatles.

Beatles

I'd never met a woman I considered as intelligent as me. Tha

I'd never met a woman I considered as intelligent as me. That sounds bigheaded, but every woman I met was either a dolly-chick, or a sort of screwed-up intellectual chick. And of course, in the field I was in, I didn't meet many intellectual people anyway. I always had this dream of meeting an artist, an artist girl who would be like me. And I thought it was a myth, but then I met Yoko and that was it.

Women

Songwriting is about getting the demon out of me. It's like

Songwriting is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed. You try to go to sleep, but the song won't let you. So you have to get up and make it into something, and then you're allowed to sleep. It's always in the middle of the night, or you're half-awake or tired, when your critical faculties are switched off. So letting go is what the whole game is. Every time you try to put your finger on it, it slips away. You turn on the lights and the cockroaches run away. You can never grasp them...

Authors & Writing