It was my duty to shoot the enemy and I don't regret it. My regrets are for the people I couldn't save: Marines soldiers buddies. I'm not naive and I don't romanticize war. The worst moments of my life have come as a SEAL. But I can stand before God with a clear conscience about doing my job.

Strategic thinkers were naturally rattled to find this outsider fooling around with their work. They had been thinking strategically when Reagan was just another movie actor playing opposite a chimpanzee for heaven's sake. They think Reagan is too naive too innocent to grasp the intellectual complexities of cold war strategy.

My songs are my kids. Some of them stay with me some others I have to send out out to the war. It might sound stupid and it might even sound naive but that's just the way it is.

Nothing is beautiful only man: on this piece of naivete rests all aesthetics it is the first truth of aesthetics. Let us immediately add its second: nothing is ugly but degenerate man - the domain of aesthetic judgment is therewith defined.

It's no good being nice and young and naive. There's no good in that at all. You've got to do it all yourself and you've gotta learn quick. And you can't look for sympathy either.

Maybe I'm naively romantic but I do believe that spice and excitement doesn't stop once a couple gets together.

I'm still a bit of a romantic and an idealist and hopelessly naive.

The state of New Jersey is really two places - terrible cities and wonderful suburbs. I live in the suburbs the final battleground of the American dream where people get married and have kids and try to scratch out a happy life for themselves. It's very romantic in that way but a bit naive. I like to play with that in my work.

People expect me to be dark and gloomy then write that I'm a jolly chap and after all that is what I am. I think it's a case of an absolute romantic naivety that there should be a parallel between the work and the artist.

But I would be naive not to recognize the number of musicians who tell me they have been influenced by me and sight me - as well as Alex and Neil - as a musician who has been a positive influence on their playing.