I really wish I was less of a thinking man and more of a fool not afraid of rejection.

I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.

If I need a cause for celebrationOr a comfort I can use to ease my mindI rely on my imaginationAnd I dream of an imaginary time.

[Does Joel feel a particular resonance with any of this year's other nominees? Sure, he says -- Paul McCartney, because of the Beatles.] The Beatles were the band that made me realize it was possible to make a living as a musician, ... When I heard the Beatles, I said, 'That's what I want to do!'

Shades of grey wherever I goThe more I find out the less that I knowBlack and white is how it should beBut shades of grey are the colors I see.

I'm still dealing with the 21-year-old me. That idealist, that purist, that young, noble, and somewhat foolish guy . . . So I tell them to try to hold on to the way they feel right now. Because that's going to effect them for the rest of their lives.