Gene Simmons Quotes

Anyone who tells you they got into rock n` roll for reasons other than girls, fame and money is full of s***.

When I`m gone, on my tombstone I`d like `Thank you and goodnight`, because I have no regrets. The sad thing is most people have to check with someone before they do the things that make them happy. We`re all passing through; the least we can do is be happy, and the only way to do that is by being selfish.

The root of all evil isn`t money; rather, it`s not having enough money.

Marriage is an institution, and you must be fully committed to it. That sounds crazy to me.

(on the dismissal of his KISS band-mates Peter Criss and Ace Frehley in the early 1980s) They were let go for being into alcohol and worse drugs, pure and simple. I love both those guys to death. But I didn`t want them to die on tour.

You can`t argue with facts and figures. Either people want it, in which case they pay for it, or it`s two guys sitting around at the Plaza having a discussion, which means nothing. I mean, Titanic (1997). I wasn`t crazy about the movie. But you know what? I`m gonna shut up, because the people have spoken. End of story!

(on his children, Nick Simmons and Sophie Simmons) Why are they so funny and creative and charming and generous? Because I won`t stand for them being anything less, that`s why!

"When you walk through a bad neighborhood, you don`t want a poodle by your side. You want a Rottweiler." on why he was voting for Bush in 2004.

My hero is me. Why? Because I was a poor little kid who was told, `Hey stupid, can`t you speak English?` Now all those people work for me. Despite whatever circumstances I came across, I was always able to rise to the top and there`s only one way to do that - by being selfish, but also by believing in yourself. Belief is self-knowing. Even Yoda out of Star Wars said, `Do or do not. There is no try.`

The first thing I did when I met Shannon Tweed, or Cher, was say: `Here, there are no skeletons in Gene Simmons`s closet.` I refuse to lead a Dr Jekyll-and-Mr Hyde life. There are DJs who get caught with prostitutes, MPs with stockings on their head. It`s a waste of time. Just say, `This is who I am. Take it or leave it.` Then you sleep well.

My mother is probably the wisest person I`ve ever known. She`s not schooled, she`s not well read. But she has a philosophy of life that makes well-read people seem like morons.

No. Better research needed. Fire your research person. No fishnet stockings. Never. Not in this band.

My skin is more beautiful than yours. I would be quite more popular in jail if I so chose.

Rock is about finding who you are. You don`t necessarily have to play your instrument very well at all. You can just barely get by and you can be in a rock band.

I refuse to stand up in front of a rabbi and my friends and the woman I love - who I will tell you I can love with all my heart - and promise she will be the only one I will ever have until the day I die. That`s a lie.

Life is too short to have anything but delusional notions about yourself.

I wanted to be in a band that gave bang for the buck. I wanted to be in the band who didn`t look like a bunch of guys who, you know, should be in a library studying for their finals.

Whoever said `Money can`t buy you love or joy` obviously was not making enough money.

It`s a dirty job but somebody`s got to do it.

When you really think about it, I`m not delusional enough to think that what I do is important to life as we know it on this planet. No. But neither is what you do.

I`m forbidden fruit. Once you go to certain households, mommy doesn`t want you to see that dirty man who sticks his tongue out and spits out blood and all that stuff.

I`d like to think that the boring lady who`s talking to me now is a lot sexier and more interesting than the one who`s doing NPR. You know, studious and reserved, and - I bet you`re a lot of fun at a party.

I`m in a weird band. We`ve done very well. The American Dream is alive and well.

The makeup is simply an extension of the personality and colors, clothing, makeup all express something.

You know why I`m pulling your leg? Because I can`t touch it from where I am.

Walk amongst the natives by day, but in your heart be Superman.

James Bond has a license to kill, rockstars have a license to be outrageous. Rock is about grabbing people`s attention.

I was never interested in being a rock star. I always wanted to be Boris Karloff.

When you look at Clark Kent when he`s working at the Daily Planet, he`s a reporter. He doesn`t fly through the air in his glasses and his suit.

Marriage? Forget it. It`s not for me.