"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

"I just wanted to write music that could touch people. [As] a songwriter, you play a few chords and sing a melody that’s been done a thousand times, and now you’re a singer-songwriter. I think it takes a little more than that to do something that matters. And I wish I could write a song where all the parts work. When you hear a song like that, it’s like finding a new friend."