Paul McCartney Quotes (1942-)

Writer, Poet, Singer

About Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, CH, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, poet, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. He became famous as a founding member of The Beatles and Wings.

Best Paul McCartney Quotes

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Explore our curated collection of the most famous and impactful Paul McCartney quotes.

“I wasn't really dead.”
“What a fucking great band we were.”
“We thought we'd be really big in Liverpool.”
Paul McCartney
“I thought the only lonely place was on the moon.”
Paul McCartney
“Obladi oblada life goes on bra
Lala how the life goes on”
Paul McCartney
“We probably seem to be anti-religious...none of us believes in God.”
“She's lovely, great. She was very friendly. She was just like a mum to us.”
“Will you still need me,
will you still feed me,
when I'm sixty-four?”
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Paul McCartney
“I'd like to be able to go on holiday and not to have to hold my belly in for two whole weeks.”
“Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday.”
“Lovely Rita, Meter Maid, nothing could come between us.
When it gets dark I'll tow your heart away”
“Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my piano keyboard,
oh Lord why don't we?”
“I don't have any desire to learn. I feel it's like a voodoo, that it would spoil things if I actually learnt how things are done.”
Paul McCartney
“Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away.

Oh, I believe in yesterday.”
“Criticism didn't really stop us and it shouldn't ever stop anyone, because critics are only the people who can't get a record deal themselves.”
Paul McCartney
“Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
”
“When I see bacon, I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that's why I can't eat it. Simple as that. But I'll eat Linda's veggie bacon. All her food was so good.”
Paul McCartney
“Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better.

Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better.”
Paul McCartney
“The long and winding road that leads to your door
Will never disappear,
I've seen that road before it always leads me here,
Leads me to your door.
”
Paul McCartney
“Personally, I think you can put any interpretation you want on anything, but when someone suggests that Can't Buy Me Love is about a prostitute, I draw the line. That's going too far.”
“I tend not to say much on the phone now. If I leave a message, it's benign. You edit yourself according to the new circumstances of the new world. I think it would be quite good to get some sort of laws.”
“To lead a better life,
I need my love to be here.
Here, making each day of the year
,
Changing my life with a wave of her hand.
Nobody can deny that there's something there.”
Paul McCartney
“I want her everywhere
and if she's beside me I know I need never care.
But to love her is to need her Everywhere, knowing that love is to share
each one believing that love never dies
watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there.”
Paul McCartney
“With life and all I've been through, I do have a belief in goodness, a good spirit. I think what people have done with religion is personified good and evil, so good's become God with 'o' out, and evil's become Devil with a 'd' added. That's my theory of religion.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney Quotes by Topic

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Paul McCartney on Vegetarianism 2 quotes

“When I see bacon, I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that's why I can't eat it. Simple as that. But I'll eat Linda's veggie bacon. All her food was so good. Steve Martin came around for a barbecue once. I was grilling and he said, “Oh, no, I can’t have any of that.” I asked why not and he said, “Sorry, I’m vegetarian.” I said, “You didn’t know we are?! Everything on the grill is veggie!” He said, “Ahhh” and ate three veggie burgers and then asked where he could buy them.”
Paul McCartney
View all 2 quotes on Vegetarianism →

Paul McCartney on Love

“And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Slaughterhouse

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Piano

“Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh lord why don't we?”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Play

“Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play Now I need a place to hide away. Oh, I believe in yesterday.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Homeopathy

“I can’t manage without homeopathy. In fact, I never go anywhere without homeopathic remedies. I often make use of them.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Blackbirds

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on History of AI

“All those memories came flooding back. My God, how lucky was I to have those men in my life? To still be working on Beatles music in 2023? Wow.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Pop Chronicles

“Some fella said to me, "Have you had LSD, Paul?" And I said "Yes." And it was only 'cuz I was going to just be honest with him. There's no other reason. I didn't want to spread it or anything, you know. I'm not trying to do anything except answer his question. But he happened to be a reporter, and I happened to be a Beatle.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on LSD

“Some fellow said to me, "Have you had LSD, Paul?" And I said "Yes." And it was only [be]cause I was going to just be honest with him. There's no other reason. I didn't want to spread it or anything, you know. I'm not trying to do anything except answer his question. But he happened to be a reporter, and I happened to be a Beatle.”
Paul McCartney

What Paul McCartney Said About Others

Discover personal opinions Paul McCartney shared regarding contemporaries.

Paul McCartney on Michael Jackson

“He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Roger Moore

“He had a heart of gold, a great sense of humor and will be missed by the many people who loved him.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on John Lennon

“I definitely did look up to John. We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest and all that kind of thing.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Vera Lynn

“I am so sad to hear of her passing but at the same time so glad to have met her and experienced first-hand her warm, fun-loving personality. Her voice will sing in my heart forever.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Little Richard

“I never thought I'd ever meet Little Richard. He was my idol at school. The first song I ever sang in public was 'Long Tall Sally,' at a Butlins holiday camp talent competition! I love his voice and I always wanted to sing like him.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Clare Fischer

“Thinking back to the time, I didn't want to just make an Elvis Costello album. There were other things I was interested in. I also wanted to work with this fabulous arranger, Clare Fischer, which may not have happened if I had been working with Elvis.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Steve Martin

“Steve Martin came around for a barbecue once. I was grilling and he said, "Oh, no, I can’t have any of that." I asked why not and he said, "Sorry, I'm vegetarian." I said, "You didn’t know we are?! Everything on the grill is veggie!" He said, "Ahhh" and ate three veggie burgers and then asked where he could buy them.”
Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney on Brian Wilson

“I've always liked Brian Wilson all the way through The Beach Boys. But Pet Sounds blew me away. It’s still one of my favorite albums. When I first heard it, I thought, Wow, this is the greatest record of all time! Brian took the bass into very unusual places. The band would play in C, and Brian would stay in G. That kind of thing. It gave me great ideas. That musical invention of Brian Wilson was eye-opening, I mean, ear-opening. ... It was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. I love the album so much. I’ve just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life … I figure no one is educated musically ’til they’ve heard that album … I love the orchestra, the arrangements … it may be going overboard to say it’s the classic of the century … but to me, it certainly is a total, classic record that is unbeatable in many ways … I’ve often played Pet Sounds and cried.”
Paul McCartney

Quotes About Paul McCartney

Gain deeper perspective through quotes about Paul McCartney from others.

Amy Goodman Democracy Now! on Paul McCartney

“Even legendary musician Paul McCartney weighed in. In his foreword to a new book against Arctic drilling by Greenpeace activist Ben Stewart, McCartney wrote, "As the ice retreats, the oil giants are moving in. Instead of seeing the melting as a grave warning to humanity, they are eyeing the previously inaccessible oil beneath the seabed at the top of the world. They're exploiting the disappearance of the ice to drill for the very same fuel that caused the melting in the first place."”

Jeff Mezydlo of on Paul McCartney

“Among Sir Paul's accomplishments with the Beatles and as a massively successful solo artist, McCartney's talent as a bassist is often downplayed. Music fans of any real level or generation understand what a phenomenal songwriter McCartney was and still is. However, his bass playing on such Beatles' classics as "Nowhere Man," "Come Together," and "A Day in the Life" were innovative for the time. The latter is also an example of just how melodic his playing can be. McCartney's talent on the instrument is worth paying attention to the next time a Beatles tune comes on.”

About Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, CH, MBE (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, poet, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. He became famous as a founding member of The Beatles and Wings.