Jimmy Buffett quotes: Mr. Margaritaville with intoxicating insight about life.
“We got to roll with the punches, play all of our hunches, make the best of whatever comes your way. Forget that blind ambition, learn to trust your intuition – plowing straight ahead, come what may.”
“Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”
“When the good times come around, they gallup in like wild horses. You just try to stay on them for as long as you can. And when they throw you off you just wait in the shade until they come around again.”
“Humor has bailed me out of more tight situations than I can think of. If you go with your instincts and keep your humor, creativity follows. With luck, success comes, too.”
“Older and wiser voices can help you find the right path, if you are only willing to listen.”
“Some make the world go round; others watch it turn.”
“There will always be those who feel more comfortable not venturing from the warmth of the hearth, but there are those who prefer to look out the window and wonder what is beyond the horizon.”
“It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad.”
“Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.”
“Breathe in, breathe out, move on.”
“One of the inescapable encumbrances of leading an interesting life is that there have to be moments when you almost lose it.”
“Whatever thrills you, anything you love to do, just say, ‘Someday, I will.'”
“People who think too much before they act… don’t act too much.”
“When reality looks too ugly, fantasize.”
“Maybe there is another who sees life not as a flickering candle but as a torch that can illuminate an undiscovered world. That to me is the way any good romantic would look at his life: live it first, then write it down before you go.”
“I’m inspired by people who keep on rolling, no matter their age.”
“I still consider it a summer job, though. So, I try to maintain that summer job as long as I can. But it’s exciting to be able to have the opportunity to do things I always dreamed of as a kid.”
“It’s my job to be better than the rest, and that’s enough reason to go for me. It’s my job to be better than the rest, and that makes the day for me.”
“And I try to give the best bang for the buck. I love performing more than anything else.”
“It’s been wonderful for me, and I feel so privileged to have fans that are that loyal.”
“Moderation is the key so I work a certain amount of time and then I take a certain amount of time off.”
“Quitting doesn’t enter my mind.”
“To describe my scarce leisure time in today’s terms, I always default to reading. My mother insisted that her children read.”
“As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin’ man, I have chalked up many a mile. Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks, and I learned much from both of their styles.”
“Writing is: edit, edit, edit. It’s almost like getting a boat ready to go to sea. You’ve still got a countless number of things left to fix, but you’ve just got to go, ‘Okay, everybody get on the boat. We’re going, ready or not.'”
“I remember the excruciating school task of writing a three-page term paper. But, oh, that feeling when I was done! I think I drive myself for that feeling of accomplishment.”
“Whether it’s a letter, song lyrics, part of a novel, or instructions on how to fix a kitchen sink, it’s writing. You keep your craft honed, you acquire the discipline to finish things. You turn into a self-taskmaster.”
“Indecision may or may not be my problem.”
“Grief is like the wake behind a boat. It starts out as a huge wave that follows close behind you and is big enough to swamp and drown you if you suddenly stop moving forward. But if you do keep moving, the big wake will eventually dissipate. And after a long time, the waters of your life get calm again, and that is when the memories of those who have left begin to shine as bright and as enduring as the stars above.”
“You know death will get you in the end, but if you are smart and have a sense of humor, you can thumb your nose at it for awhile.”
“Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been.”
“It’s those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes – nothing remains quite the same. With all of our running and all of our cunning, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”
“Sail the main course in a simple sturdy craft. Keep her well stocked with short stories and long laughs. Go fast enough to get there but slow enough to see. Moderation seems to be the key.”
“I have always looked at life as a voyage, mostly wonderful, sometimes frightening. In my family and friends I have discovered treasure more valuable than gold.”
“My voyage was never a well-conceived plan, nor will it ever be. I have made it up as I went along.”
“I just want to live happily ever after, every now and then.”
“Some of it’s magic and some of it’s tragic, but I had a good life all the way.”
“But I like who I became just fine. That’s the way life is. We all try to make something out of our lives, and some of us are just luckier than others.”
“Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can’t look back for too long. There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can’t go wrong.”
“I want to keep going as I have, to travel, read, perform, write, and enjoy my family. I’ve promised myself only this: no more laundromats, no more two-shows-a-night, and no more deadlines. I’ll work at my own pace.”
“I got my hush puppies on. I guess I never was meant for glitter rock and roll.”
“Fun is about as good a habit as there is. It’s important to have as much fun as possible while we’re here. It balances out the times when the minefield of life explodes.”
“Well, I’m still here. Didn’t have to go to rehab, and I’m not broke.”
“If life gives you limes, make margaritas.”
“I don’t get tired of playing ‘Margaritaville.’ It’s paid my bills for years.”
“Be yourself, be pleasant, play hard… and have no regrets.”
Related: Tom Petty quotes.
