John Lydon

“I love conversation and the sharing of different thoughts and philosophies. That kind of stuff always makes me happy. I don't mind interviews, either - I like doing them.”

“I have values. But morals are Christian. There's no religion here. Values. Don't hurt when you don't need to, but don't let anybody step over that line - it's an invisible line, but it's respect for somebody's space.”

“You gotta bear in mind, the youth - and this is just in Britain alone - have nowhere to go in the evenings. They've closed all the social centers. There's not even a patch of grass to kick a ball on.”

“You know, I've been to some superstars' houses, and I've been really disgusted when I see their platinum discs hanging in the toilet. They're just there on the walls glaring at you when you're trying to be occupied with other things.”

“I applaud the effort it takes to put a record together.”

“I don't believe in anarchy, because it will ultimately amount to the power of the bully, with weapons. Gandhi is my life's inspiration: passive resistance. I don't want to live in the Thunderdome with Mad Max.”

“I don't have any expensive habits. I'm not a car collector or any of that nonsense. But I'd love to be incredibly wealthy for no reason at all.”

“I love American ski resorts because they're open to everyone, are not incredibly expensive. They're not snobby and you can have fun all day long on the most excellent mountains.”

“One of the most beautiful things about Britain, apart from the NHS and the free education, is the British Army.”

“It's a repressive society where you can't be horrible, I'm not horrible, they made me horrible, I'm just honest.”

“Britain's an island; it's always had a constant ebb and flow of immigration - it makes it a better place.”

“Just because people think politically different to you doesn't mean they're inhuman.”

“I've never said I'm a communist.”

“Music is a simulation of something, but language is the greatest thing we possess.”

“Punk was never about one particular clean-cut imagery... it's about many, many individuals coming very loosely together.”

“When you come from desperate poverty, and that's exactly what I come from, you know that nonsenses are not to be tolerated. I'm not sure who gains from chaos, but I know it's not the poor folks in the council flats. The politics of vindictiveness is never, ever anything like a solution.”

“I've helped launch 49 careers - those that have been in PiL. To me, they are my babies; whatever they get up to, they know I love them. They've been living in my pockets, and they should show more gratitude.”

“I've done no harm to no one. In fact, I think I've improved the world.”

“I love discordancy. It makes people ill at ease and wakes up a part of their brain that's normally asleep.”

“I've always said, I thought the Sex Pistols was more Music Hall than anything else - because I think that really, more truths are said in humour than any other form.”