"Everyone argues, then we do what I say." - 1987 "It costs a fortune to look this trashy." "Never trust a man who tells you it's from the heart, never trust a man smoking a cigar, never trust a cowboy or a man who wears shades..." "I could go onstage, unzip my pants, and hang my dick out, and people would think it was a statement about something." "Marriage is this grand madness, and I think if people knew that, they would perhaps take it more seriously. The reason why there's operas and novels and pop tunes written about love is because it's such an extraordinary thing, not because it's commonplace, and yet that's what you're told, you grow up with this idea that it's the norm." Hot Press, March 2000 "Overcoming my dad telling me that I could never amount to anything is what has made me the megalomaniac that you see today" - recalling his late father's influence "I love art too much to call these anything other than marks on paper" - on his paintings "I think ABBA have a pure joy to their music and that's what makes them extraordinary." U2 is sort of song writing by accident really. We don't really know what we're doing and when we do, it doesn't seem to help. When I write, it's there. There's no staring at a blank page. [about The Edge] He's an owl! [talking about The Edge] And that's not always a given - that he would want to play guitar. He might be into keyboards this album, and you have Larry and Adam going "oh fuck, he's into the keyboards now. We'll never get a rock song out of him". Look, I'm sick of Bono and I AM Bono. It would be wrong for me to say, 'Yes, we can change the world with a song.' But every time I try writing, that's where I'm at. I'm not stupid. I'm aware of the futility of rock & roll music, but I'm also aware of its power. "I represent a lot of people [in Africa] who have no voice at all... They haven't asked me to represent them. It's cheeky but I hope they're glad I do." The world is more malleable than you think. We can bend it into a better shape. Ask big questions, demand big answers. "I hate the idea of being in the UK Hall of Fame to be honest with you. We don't want to be in any Hall of Fame until we're retired or dead."