Mike Mills Quotes

I say it's easier to write for other people than write for myself.

Fight with yourself when you paint, not with the model. A student is one who struggles with himself for order.

We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.

I just know what I go through, and I know how to speak on it in an interesting way.

I think the biggest obstacle I still have to overcome is myself, and just kind of struggling every day with what to do with the work and where to go next.

All my life I have struggled to make one authentic gesture.

The hardest thing in the world to play is something close to myself.

I am never more myself than in my self-betrayals.

Anyone who has problems, or worries, anyone who laughs and cries, anyone who feels can write. It's only talking on paper... talking about the things that matter to us.

'Birdman' came from a very beautiful side of me, from a part of honesty and surrender about things.

Certainly, I devote my energy to both telling my personal life story and seeking self- obliteration. However, I will not destroy myself through art.

There was a period when I had a hard time reconciling all the different parts of me in a way that I thought would make sense to others.

I internalize everything, keep everything inside. I'm not used to spilling my guts, and when you have to do that on film to make a point, it's hard. It's rough. I don't think it's as easy as people think.

It's not easy trying to navigate your internal world in the public eye.

I want to show people that there's a side of myself other than just the outrageous comedian.

I want to continue to be me and share with people.

On the first album I was saying, that's just one part of me. And then I was thinking, well, am I going to hide the rest of me now just because I'm afraid of something? No. I'm just going to be myself.

I have my dark side like anybody, you know, depression, anxiety... and I write about gritty, real-life stuff.

I want to explore more sides of humanity and myself. That's what acting is about.

Fighting for identity is something that is very much in my life.

Young writers often mistakenly choose a certain vein or style based on who they want to be, unconsciously trying to blot out who they actually are. You want to escape yourself.

My lyrics come from my experiences growing up in life, trying to find out and express who I am. That's basically it. I'm not trying to be a prophet or anything like that. I'm just reflecting on life.

I try to find what is closest to me in the character. There's many sides to personality, but it's a matter of, do you entertain those specific areas of your personality, or are you afraid to entertain them?

There are different sides to me; I wanted to make a personal film but I would not want to make any film that does not reflect me in it. At least, not right now. I'm just too young to be doing that.

I'm a big emotional mess. I try to talk about things that people don't like to talk about, especially in music. Hopefully it reaches someone and lets them access their vulnerability. That's what I want it to accomplish.