Quotes

Instead of getting married again, I'm going to find a woman I don't like and just give her a house.

[on looking young] The secret is to moisturise the face. I've been doing that since I was 17 years old.

[on Brigitte Bardot] She's the only woman I've ever had a sexual fantasy about. With me, looks come first, and she's everything a woman should be. She's blonde and beautiful, she's got the most incredible legs--et cetera, et cetera. And she's French as well.

[on his former wife, Rachel Hunter, shortly after their break-up] She was the first woman who left me.

[on being awarded the CBE] It's a marvellous occasion. We're the only country in the world to honour the common man.

Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps.

[on his move to Los Angeles, California] The British taxation in 1975 was absolutely crippling. I think about 84% of my income was going in income tax. And I wasn't inspired by the music scene in '73, '74, '75 either.

I don't believe you should flaunt your wealth like Liberace or something.

I don't know anybody that doesn't like being famous and anybody that doesn't like it shouldn't have thought about being famous in the first place. I think it's absolutely marvelous being famous. I love it. I like walking down the street and being recognised. I don't go out of my way to be recognised. I mean I don't go walking down the street in a pink satin suit.

I don't think people expect Bruce Springsteen to come out in a pink satin jacket, but Rod Stewart they do. And I like doing it, I don't wear it just because I think I have to. I'm a very flamboyant person.

I don't mind buying one round of drinks, but I am bloody well not going to buy another. I don't miss a penny. I get a daily statement about where every penny is going and every investment. I wouldn't say I worry about money, but you never know what's around the corner. I worry more about my children's views on money sometimes. They've grown up privileged and it's an ongoing battle. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

I've been lucky. I couldn't deal with it if I'd run out of barnet. Imagine me with a Bobby Charlton comb-over.

My age group and our age group, the Stones [The Rolling Stones] and Elton [Elton John], it's hard to get on the radio. And it's hard to buy records now 'cos you can't buy 'em anywhere. My audience like to go in and buy records.

[on Mick Jagger] I've got utmost respect for Mick and the boys. I love 'em to death. He's a great singer, he's one of the greatest. He's not quite as good as me.

I've always looked on myself as one of a band and never sought a solo career.

It's always been a spiritual home, but as I don't live there I shouldn't comment on Scottish independence. If it's good for the Scots I'm happy. I hope it's not a lot of kids thinking 'Braveheart (1995)'. I'd hate to see the union broken after all these years. And I don't think it will happen.

I'm a romantic and like a one-on-one situation, candlelight and foreplay, all the old-fashioned things.

There's never been much rivalry between any of our generation - well, maybe me and Elton [Elton John] but that's friendly.

[on Mick Jagger] Mick's a fine blues singer, but technically not as good as me. He's made the best of what he's got, but I don't think he could do standards and he may not want to.

Every three years, Model Railroader puts me on their cover, which is better than Rolling Stone.

[on Elton John] The second-best rock singer ever.

[on Tom Waits] He's one of my favorite all-time songwriters.

[on "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"] It certainly wasn't one of the best songs I've written. It transformed me overnight into a sex symbol I suppose, for want of a better word, and everything that goes with that, and for a long time I believed everything I read about myself in the papers. People, when we do live shows, they love that song, everywhere around the world.

I believe I'm a romantic. I can cry at sad films and I like candle-lit dinners. All depends what you describe as being a romantic.

[on love songs] I've always written songs like that. I think it comes as the years go on, you mature a little bit and you want to write songs that are more loving songs.

I've got a lot of English blood in me, not too much English blood, but I consider myself to be a fairly good lover, I've had no complaints. I've had no compliments either.

When Scotland play England, I don't care if it's schoolboys or what it is, it's very serious.

[on the World Cup in 1986] If that had been an English goal when Maradona [Diego Maradona] handballed it, everyone would have said it was OK, it's just that it was on the other team, but I've got a feeling that none of the British teams could have won it, maybe it's about time we had a Great Britain team. It's only an idea.

[on the World Cup in 1986] We played three, we weren't too good in the last one, but I was real proud of them. I was really proud of the British teams all round, not just Scotland.

Being a football fan and playing Wembley, it's not like Wham! - I don't think are real football fans - but it means a hell of a lot to me.

[on the suggestion his tax exile status could have delayed his knighthood] Mick [Mick Jagger] doesn't pay taxes here, and Tom [Tom Jones] lives in America. If my time comes, it will. And if it doesn't, I'm not bothered. Are you kidding? I never expected a CBE.

People said I went astray with Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? and they're absolutely right. I jumped on a bandwagon, but everyone loves it. It's my novelty song. I try to give the audience what they want, and sod the critics.

It's a wonderful, wonderful hobby, I don't know why people laugh at it. Jools Holland is a big model railway man, as is Phil Collins, Neil Young, Frank Sinatra Jr., Roger Daltrey.

[on David Bowie] David has always been the darling of rock critics and I haven't. They look at him as an intellectual writer and me, just the opposite. To them, it's always black and white.

[2018, responding to Elton John's announced farewell tour] I did actually email Elton and said, "What? again dear?" And I didn't hear anything back. I think he's upset with me. I think she's upset with me...I'm Phyllis. And she's Sharon. And it's been that way for fifty years.

I'm not a great lover of Madonna's voice. She's done very well with what she's got, and I'm sure my voice turns her right off, but she's not my favourite singer.

Listen, if my career was to end tomorrow, I would have no complaints whatsoever.

My big brother still thinks he's a better singer than me.

[on his accent] They call me the Cockney Scotsman.

The Scottish blood overpowers the English blood.

Good luck to Madonna. She's made a bloody fortune with a minimal voice. You can't knock it - any girl who can make that sort of dough has to be admired. But give me Adele any day. And we lost the best one of the lot - Amy Winehouse. What a voice that was.

I've never smoked anything in my life, but I've done cocaine. We all know that. The difference is, in the old days, the cocaine was amazing. Today I eat healthily most of the time. All I've had to today is cornflakes, because I've been so busy. But I like fasting. Not the whole day, 'cause I'm gonna have dinner tonight, but it won't be a heavy dinner. But I do like a drink. That is my downfall. I drink three glasses of wine per day, every day. Not big ones, only little tiny ones. But I cannot have a decent meal and have a glass of water. I just can't do it, mate. Trust me: get rid of the beer, and start eating gluten-free bread. F---, it don't half make a difference to that bloated feeling. Are you married? Tell the missus to get gluten-free bread just for you.

[on the NHS crisis] I personally have been a Tory for a long time but I think this government should stand down now and give the Labour Party a go, this is heartbreaking. In all my years in this country I've never seen it so bad ... change the bloody government.

In April 1975, when my relationship with Britt was just getting going, I left England and became a tax exile. This didn't go down particularly well with the British press, who thought I was betraying the land of my birth. It didn't go down especially well with Elton John, either. Round at his place one evening, I told him I was thinking of quitting Britain, and he called me a traitor and put on Elgar's 'Pomp and Circumstance Marches' at a volume so high that we couldn't talk over it.

I've got people that work for me. They're struggling, you know, I've just given everybody a ten per cent raise, I gave them a raise two years ago, because they're struggling. The cost of living is ridiculous.

[on Boris Johnson] I was and still am a bit of a fan of Boris because I think he's got wonderful charisma. But you know, you knew what you were getting with Boris, so it's not unusual. He's told a few porkies over the years. So I'm not surprised. He's in big trouble now. But how is he going to make a comeback? I don't know. Maybe he should talk to me. I've been making comebacks for years.