John Lennon was a member of The Beatles band, singer, writer, and peace activist. Together with his friend Paul McCartney, Lennon founded The Beatles, which is one of the most famous and successful pop bands in the history of music. 

Lennon left the band in 1969, and later, he released Double Fantasy, along with his wife, Yoko Ono. Sadly, in 1980, he was shot dead at point blank range by a power-crazed fan.

John Lennon’s lyrics and quotes had a tremendous impact worldwide – and continues to do so to this day.

Here’s a selection of timeless quotes from the legend John Lennon.

1. “Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we’re being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I’m liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That’s what’s insane about it.” – John Lennon 
2. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one”. – John Lennon
3. “Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” – John Lennon
4. “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” – John Lennon
5. “I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?” – John Lennon
6. “If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.” – John Lennon
7. “Love is the answer, and you know that for sure; Love is a flower, you’ve got to let it grow.” – John Lennon
8. “You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you are. You are what you are!” – John Lennon
9. “I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.” – John Lennon
10. “My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.” – John Lennon
11. “Love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep on watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it”. – John Lennon
12. “It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it matters only that you love.” – John Lennon
13. “We live in a world where we have to hide to make love, while violence is practiced in broad daylight.” – John Lennon
14. “When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps.” – John Lennon
15. “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” – John Lennon
16. “The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.” – John Lennon
17. “It doesn’t matter how long my hair is or what colour my skin is or whether I’m a woman or a man.” – John Lennon
18. “Life is very short, and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friends.” – John Lennon
19. “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” – John Lennon
20. “We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” – John Lennon 
21. “Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.” – John Lennon 
22. “When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” – John Lennon 
23. “Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” – John Lennon