Discover the wisdom and wit of John Lennon through his most famous quotes. From inspiring messages of peace and unity to thought-provoking reflections on life and happiness, Lennon's words continue to resonate today. Dive into his insightful quotes and let them inspire and uplift you.
John Winston Ono Lennon was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and peace activist, best known as the founder of the Beatles. Born in Liverpool, he became involved in the skiffle craze before forming The Quarrymen, which eventually transformed into the iconic band in 1960. Lennon's songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney is considered the most successful in history. Throughout his career, Lennon embraced a wide range of musical influences and incorporated experimental elements into his compositions. He also ventured into other media, participating in films and releasing collections of writings and drawings.
In addition to his work with the Beatles, Lennon formed the Plastic Ono Band with Yoko Ono and released solo albums that produced international hit singles such as "Give Peace a Chance", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas". He faced deportation attempts by the Nixon administration due to his criticism of the Vietnam War. After a hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with his album Double Fantasy but tragically was murdered by a fan shortly after its release. Throughout his career, Lennon achieved great success with numerous number-one singles and recognition from awards such as Grammys, Brit Awards, and inductions into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His influence on music and activism remains significant to this day.
“The newspapers said,
"Say, what you're doing in bed?"”
I said "We're only trying to get us some peace."
"Ballad of John and Yoko" (1969), referring to his "bed-in" honeymoon of March 1969.
Lyrics
“If you want to change the system, change the system. It's no good shooting people.”
Playboy interview (1980)
Source: Lennon “Our society is run by insane people”, Interview, June 6, 1968, Educate Inspire Change https://educateinspirechange.org/john-lennon-society-run-insane-people/John June 10, 2014
"Mind Games"
Lyrics, Mind Games (1973)
Original: We all been playing those mind games forever
Some kinda druid dudes lifting the veil.
Doing the mind guerrilla,
Some call it magic — the search for the grail.
Love is the answer and you know that for sure.
Love is a flower, you got to let it — you got to let it grow.
