I never wanted to leave the Smashing Pumpkins. That was never the plan.

For someone who's had the level of success I've had, there's been very little critical review of my work, which is pretty fascinating.

I was raised a Christian, but I wouldn't call myself a Christian now. I think when I was younger it was easier to focus on the negative, nihilist vision... this is sort of picking up on the other half of the body, which is God and white light.

I walked away from going to church when I was 8. I didn't set foot in another church until I was 28.

I'm definitely responsible for coming in with some basic chord changes, or ideas. Everybody in the band looks to me to come up with the basic seed, so it's not very productive to come in with nothing.

I feel like I'm always fighting not to repeat myself.

You will never see the four original Pumpkins on stage ever again, unless it's a Hall of Fame thing. But you would never see a tour. There's so much damage, there's no way.

I never wanted to leave the Smashing Pumpkins. That was never the plan.

My pat line about the Cubs and payroll is that the amount of merchandise the Cubs would sell off a world series championship would more than cover for a big payroll.

I'm sort of like a lame, single guy in a red sports car.

It just doesn't work without the others.

I didn't grow up with my mother, and so losing her for real was like, some sort of latent childhood, some sort of unresolved issue. When she left for real, it was sort of like, I was done.

If I have resistance to something, it means there's something wrong. The resistance to me is a sign of fear.

I've always been spiritual but I've never had a proper context, and it took me awhile to find the proper context. It's hard to realize you can have any kind of relationship with God you want... and so I now have a punk rock relationship with God.

Saturn Return is just the return of your planets to their original position.

As a citizen of the great city of Chicago, I find it impossible to root against the White Sox. The White Sox organization has been much more consistent, in my lifetime at least, at putting a winning ballclub on the field.

I didn't find Jesus. He's been there the whole time.

My version, of course, is not this flag-waving, let's all get on the Jesus train and ride out of hell. I'm not that kind of guy. It's an embrace that life is good, worth living and yeah, it's not easy, but there are more pluses than minuses.

I'm viewed as this weird, crippled character. But you got to take your lumps.

I was brought up Roman Catholic. I'm not even baptized.

I'll come in with a string of riffs and direct the musical ideas. But you still need a band and their input to make the ideas come alive. You can't underestimate band chemistry.

I don't have to play by these rules or do these things... I can actually have my own kind of version.

I lay a lot of blame at the feet of Dusty Baker for not being more strict about fundamentals, which I think would give the team a stronger day-to-day identity.

In the beginning, though, I have to admit that I did have a chip on my shoulder. I did want to prove everyone wrong. But after I went through the process and came out the other side, it wasn't about anyone else.

James, that's a bad situation. I'm not saying it's not repairable, but it's pretty far. When you go from being in one of the best bands in the world to some cover band... as far as I'm concerned, he was playing down at the pub.

I believe that if the Tribune company ever tries to close down Wrigley Field that you will have a protest from every corner of the globe.

The deeper I get into my life as a musician, I'm discovering that it becomes less and less about other people, and more about what I want to do. And that's a good place to be.

Your basic person wants to talk about material culture, internet culture. I think about God, cats, nature.

There's a difference between being a poseur and being someone who's so emotionally challenged they're kind of just doing their best to show you what they've got.

A good artist is willing to die many times over. What's funny is, I've died so many times.

All I can go on is my own value system.

Calm, open debate, and logical thought drive strength to its maximum effectiveness.

Compliments and criticism are all ultimately based on some form of projection.

Do I belong in the conversation about the best artists in the world? My answer is yes, I do.

Even if you don't believe in God, exploring fully the idea of a god or gods should pose no threat to you.

I always thought Kurt Cobain was the perfect embodiment of the great alternative guitar player.

I did 13-something years of talking to wrestlers and promoters about why they did certain things and why they booked matches a certain way and what they were thinking and whether they were satisfied with the draw. And I got a lot of insight in the business.

I do not think wrestling is going to save the world.

I do not trust those who make the vaccines, or the apparatus behind it all to push it on us through fear.

I don't have any sentimental notion about how people are going to remember me.

I don't think people are fans of me because I wrote hit songs. I think they're fans because I'm a lunatic or a weirdo. The hit songs came out of my idiosyncratic personality, not the other way around.

I don't wanna play this kind of cartoon character anymore.

I don't want to be 25 again.

I don't want to be a dead hero.

I grew up in a house of no love or emotion - it kind of sticks with you.

I grew up in the suburbs and basically associate the suburbs with cultural death.

I had concussions as a kid playing football and basketball, and know what it feels like and to have someone say 'Just rub some dirt on it, and get back in there.'

I had such a big mouth for so long that it doesn't faze anybody anymore.

I like my home and I like the nature.