I am an old scholar, better-looking now than when I was young. Thats what sitting on your ass does to your face. – Leonard Cohen
Raise a million filters and the rain will not be clean, until the longing for it be refined in deep confession. And still we hear, If only this nation had a soul, or, Let us change the way we trade, or, Let us be proud of our region. – Leonard Cohen
Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh. – Leonard Cohen
I have nothing against the Queen of England. Even in my heart I never resented her for not being Jackie Kennedy. She is, to my mind, a very gallant lady, victimized by whoever it is who designs the tops of her uniforms. – Leonard Cohen
The term clinical depression finds its way into too many conversations these days. One has a sense that a catastrophe has occurred in the psychic landscape. – Leonard Cohen
The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and its overturned the order of the soul… – Leonard Cohen
The ages of seven to eleven is a huge chunk of life, full of dulling and forgetting. It is fabled that we slowly lose the gift of speech with animals, that birds no longer visit our windowsills to converse. As our eyes grow accustomed to sight they armour themselves against wonder. – Leonard Cohen
Women stand for the objective world for a man. They stand for the thing that youre not and thats what you always reach for in a song. – Leonard Cohen
I always thought that poetry is the verdict that others give to a certain kind of writing. So to call yourself a poet is a kind of dangerous description. Its for others its for others to use. – Leonard Cohen
I think the term poet is a very exalted term and should be applied to a man at the end of his work. When he looks back over the body of his work and hes written poetry then let the verdict be that hes a poet. – Leonard Cohen
We used to play music for fun. Much more than now. Now nobody picks up a guitar unless theyre paid for it. – Leonard Cohen
To every people the land is given on condition. Perceived or not, there is a Covenant, beyond the constitution, beyond sovereign guarantee, beyond the nations sweetest dreams of itself. – Leonard Cohen
And most people have a woman in their heart, most men have a woman in their heart and most women have a man in their heart. – Leonard Cohen
Success is survival. – Leonard Cohen
I never really liked poetry readings I liked to read poetry by myself, but I liked singing, chanting my lyrics to this jazz group. – Leonard Cohen
Music is the emotional life of most people. – Leonard Cohen
Let judges secretly despair of justice: their verdicts will be more acute. Let generals secretly despair of triumph killing will be defamed. Let priests secretly despair of faith: their compassion will be true. – Leonard Cohen
In dreams the truth is learned that all good works are done in the absence of a caress. – Leonard Cohen
The last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world. – Leonard Cohen
Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. – Leonard Cohen
