Rick Rubin Quotes

We are born artists. And then society does its best to beat it out of us.

I never had the feeling I ever had to make a dime doing anything.

People are willing to get short-term gains at the risk of long-term choices.

I guess edgy things tend to get my attention.

I like things that are unique and extreme.

For me, the Beatles are proof of the existence of God.

Everything I do, whether it’s producing or signing an artist, always starts with the songs. When I’m listening, I’m looking for a balance that you could see in anything. Whether it’s a great painting or a building or a sunset.

It’s a big theme in my life, learning about myself and being a better person. I’m a work in progress; I have revelations every day.

There’s a tremendous power in using the least amount of information to get a point across.

Well I listened to mostly rock music, and I felt like hip hop was like an extension of rock music when it was done well. So energetically, again I felt like it was in line with punk rock and maybe hard rock, more than it was in line with R&B, which I never really liked.

In between 15 and 20 – probably at around 17 – my interests switched from hard rock to punk rock. And then by 20 they were circling out of punk rock back into Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the stuff that I didnt get to when I was younger.

I don’t know what makes someone hip. The goal is artist achievement and the best work we can do with no limitation.