Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen

When the ancient Japanese would meet they’d bow to each other for as much as half an hour, speaking words of greeting, gradually moving closer together, understanding the necessity of entering another’s consciousness carefully.”

it is forbidden to talk about ways of getting high because we know that it is contrary to the goal.

“Yes, I have good friends, but I think they’re among my worst enemies; they help me when they harm me, and they harm me when they help me. I mean a friendship is often a condition of mutual sympathy which reinforces weakness and does not do anybody any good.”

You can in some way place yourself at the disposal of the good will that does exist … or you can say there is no goodwill in society and what we must do is completely destroy the thing.

Those who know don’t talk and those who talk don’t know. There’s some truth to that, you know. You don’t find any of the great, enlightened masters sitting around rapping. You just don’t learn that way.”