Neil Peart citations

“All the busy little creatures
chasing out their destinies.
Living in their pools
they soon forget about the sea…
-- Natural Science (1980)”

“A few guys with guns can spoil everything.
-- The Masked Rider ()”

“When we are young
Wandering the face of the Earth
Wondering what our dreams might be worth
Learning that we're only immortal
For a limited time
-- Dreamline (1991)”

“Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw
-- The Trees (1978)”

“There's no bread, let 'em eat cake
There's no end to what they'll take
Flaunt the fruits of noble birth
Wash the salt into the earth
-- Bastille Day (1975)”

“I can't play to that!”

“You move me, you move me.
with your buildings and your eyes
Autumn woods and Winter skies.
You move me, you move me.
Open sea and city lights, busy streets and dizzy heights.
You call me, you call me.
-- The Analog Kid (1982)”

“Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone
-- Subdivisions (1982)”

“Imagine a man when it all began
The pilot of 'Enola Gay'
Flying out of the shockwave on that August day
All the powers that be, and the course of history
Would be changed forevermore
-- Manhattan Project (1985)”

“Some are born to move the world, to live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about the things we'd like to be
Sadder still to watch it die, then never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee…
-- Losing It (1982)”

“A scorching blast of golden fire as it slowly leaves the ground
Tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound
-- Countdown (1982)”

“Today is different, and tomorrow the same.
It's hard to take the world the way that it came.
Too many rapids keep us sweeping along.
Too many captains keep on steering us wrong.
It's hard to take the heat.
It's hard to lay blame.
To fight the fire, while we're feeding the flames.
-- Second Nature (1987)”

“Quick to judge -- Quick to anger -- Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand
-- Witch Hunt (Part III of 'Fear') (1981)”

“Wave after wave
Will flow with the tide
And bury the world as it does
Tide after tide
Will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on
As it was…
-- Natural Science (1980)”

“How I prayed just to get away
To carry me anywhere
Sometimes the angels punish us
By answering our prayers
-- Carnies (2012)”

“How can anybody be enlightened?
Truth is after all so poorly lit
-- Turn The Page (1987)”

“Sometimes I freeze…until the light comes
Sometimes I fly…into the night
Sometimes I fight…against the darkness
Sometimes I'm wrong…sometimes I'm right
-- Freeze”

“An ounce of perception, a pound of obscure
Process information at half speed
Pause, rewind, replay
Warm memory chip
Random sample, hold the one you need
-- Vital Signs (1981)”

“You don't get something for nothing
You can't have freedom for free.
You won't get wise
With the sleep still in your eyes
No matter what your dream might be.
-- Something for Nothing (1976)”

“Cast in this unlikely role
Ill-equipped to act
With insufficient tact
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact
-- Limelight (1981)”

“Adventures suck when you're having them.
-- Roadshow ()”

“Wheels can take you around.
Wheels can cut you down.
We can go from boom to bust.
From dreams to a bowl of dust.
We can fall from rockets' red glare, down to "Brother can you spare…"
Another war.
Another wasteland.
And another lost generation
-- Between The Wheels (1984)”

“I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way
On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery
-- Cygnus X-1, Book One; The Voyage (1977)”

“The secret to life is, you get up in the morning, and you go to work.”

“Anarchist reactionary, running-dog revisionist
Hindu, Muslim, Catholic creation, evolutionist
Rational, romantic, mystic, cynical, idealist
Minimal expressionist, post-modern neo-symbolist

Armchair rocket scientist, graffiti existentialist
Deconstruction primitive performance photo-realist
Be-bop or a one-drop or a hip-hop, lite-pop-metallist
Gold adult contemporary, urban country capitalist
-- You Bet Your Life (1991)”

“No hero in your tragedy,
No daring in your escape,
No salutes for your surrender,
Nothing noble in your fate,
Christ, what have you done?
-- The Pass (1989)”

“Everything in moderation, with occasional excess
-- Ghost Rider (2002)”

“I'm not looking back, but I want to look around me now.
-- Time Stand Still (1987)”

“We each pay a fabulous price
For our visions of paradise
But a spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission
-- Mission (1987)”