Jenny Lewis Quotes

Powerful Jenny Lewis for Daily Growth

About Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis, born on June 8, 1976, in Las Vegas, Nevada, is an acclaimed American singer-songwriter, actress, and musician who has made significant contributions to the indie pop genre. Raised in Los Angeles by her single mother, a member of the Church of Scientology, Lewis' musical journey began at a young age as she played instruments and sang in the kids' band from her church. At 14, she co-founded the teenage pop-punk group Rilo Kiley with Blake Sennett. The band gained recognition with their debut album "Take Offs & Landings" (2001) and continued to release albums that showcased Lewis' poignant songwriting skills. Simultaneously, she ventured into acting, appearing in TV shows like 'Gilmore Girls' and 'The Office', and the films 'The Wizard' and 'Troop Beverly Hills'. In 2006, Lewis released her debut solo album, "Rabbit Fur Coat," a collaboration with the Watson Twins. Her second solo album, "Acid Tongue" (2008), was well-received, and she continued to produce music that blended indie rock with pop and country influences. Lewis' third solo album, "The Voyager," released in 2014, earned her critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Her most recent work, "On the Line" (2019), was praised for its emotional depth and collaboration with notable musicians like Beck and Jim Keltner. Throughout her career, Lewis has been open about her personal struggles, using her art as a form of therapy. Her lyrics often reflect her experiences with love, loss, and self-discovery, making her music deeply relatable to many listeners. Today, Jenny Lewis continues to captivate audiences with her unique blend of melodies, storytelling, and raw emotion.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I'm not a victim; I'm a fighter."

This quote expresses Jenny Lewis's determination, resilience, and refusal to be defined by adversity or hardship. Instead, she positions herself as someone who takes action to overcome obstacles, demonstrating a strong will to persevere in the face of challenges. In essence, it communicates an empowering message of personal agency, self-reliance, and courage.


"You can't control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you respond."

This quote emphasizes personal agency and resilience in the face of life's uncertainties. It suggests that while we can't predict or prevent every event that befalls us, we retain the power to choose our reactions. In other words, although circumstances are beyond our control, our responses – thoughts, feelings, behaviors – remain within our grasp, and these can greatly impact the course of our lives. Therefore, it encourages adopting a mindset that promotes self-awareness, adaptability, and emotional regulation in response to challenging situations.


"The only person who can tell you what you're capable of is yourself."

This quote highlights the importance of self-belief in determining one's potential. It emphasizes that each individual holds unique capabilities within themselves, and it is up to them to recognize and unlock these abilities. External validation or opinions should not limit nor define what a person can achieve; rather, personal conviction and determination are crucial factors in realizing true potential.


"You have the power to change your story every day."

This quote emphasizes that each person holds the agency to reshape their own life narrative daily. It suggests that despite past experiences or circumstances, one can make conscious decisions and take actions to modify their personal journey in a positive direction. Essentially, it encourages individuals to have control over their lives, to learn, adapt, and grow, making each day an opportunity for transformation and self-improvement.


"Life is short, so be brave and take risks."

This quote encourages individuals to seize opportunities and step out of their comfort zones, as life's brevity underscores the importance of taking calculated risks. It promotes courage, fearlessness, and living life with vigor and determination, rather than letting fear or uncertainty hold one back from pursuing dreams and experiences.


Sometimes things feel hopeless. Not always within my own life - but looking outward, it seems like rough times lie ahead of us. The world seems to be kind of caving in on itself in a lot of ways. But I try to look on the bright side.

- Jenny Lewis

Sometimes, Ahead, Rough, My Own

My hair looks so good out in the desert, it's unbelievable. It's, like, perfectly not frizzy.

- Jenny Lewis

Hair, Looks, Perfectly, Unbelievable

When I was 18, I took a trip to Thailand with a friend. We stayed for a month. Bangkok was very raw for a teenager: there were no cellphones, no Internet, and the only music I had with me was this cassette by Liz Phair. I was writing a lot of poetry, and she embodied a talky style of songwriting that I found very accessible.

- Jenny Lewis

Very, Had, Accessible, Bangkok

I can parallel park pretty well - I'm a great driver.

- Jenny Lewis

Driver, Well, Pretty, Parallel

I didn't know anything about music when I started a band. I barely knew how to play a guitar. I didn't know how to produce records. I learned how to play bass guitar and keyboards in Rilo Kiley. I picked up a lot from my collaborators.

- Jenny Lewis

Play, Records, About, Keyboards

When I'm sick of myself, and when I don't know what to say as a solo artist, I can write a song for a movie. When I don't know where to turn musically, being in a band - Rilo Kiley or Jenny & Johnny - the collaborative nature is really exciting.

- Jenny Lewis

Artist, Sick, Movie, Johnny

I've always felt lonely, even if I'm in a great relationship or surrounded by my friends and family.

- Jenny Lewis

Always, Surrounded, Felt, Great Relationship

I come from a duo, actually, quite literally. My parents are Linda and Eddie, and they had an act in Vegas called 'Love's Way.'

- Jenny Lewis

Love, Vegas, Literally, Linda

I had a huge Lisa Frank sticker collection. I traded them.

- Jenny Lewis

Traded, Frank, Had, Sticker

I'm a late bloomer. It's taken me a long time to find my voice, and I think all the records I've made over the years, I was finding my voice, and that's part of the process.

- Jenny Lewis

Voice, Records, I Think, Bloomer

My mother had a great vinyl collection, and she was constantly playing female singer-songwriters. I first learned about classic song structures by listening to them, and Laura Nyro particularly stood out. Her voice was outside what you'd usually hear on the radio; that really appealed to me.

- Jenny Lewis

Voice, About, Stood, Laura

When I sit down to write a song, there is no filter. I'm not trying to write for anyone or anything specifically. It's just trying to capture a little piece of your soul - even if it's a really ugly part.

- Jenny Lewis

Soul, Part, Your, Filter

I felt like onstage I have to have a certain amount of anonymity, like, personal anonymity, to feel loose and free. When you're up there with people who've known you for a decade, and you make a bad joke and you hear the cackling behind the drums, it's hard to get lost in the moment.

- Jenny Lewis

Behind, Bad, Decade, Anonymity

After Rilo Kiley broke up and a few really intense personal things happened, I completely melted down. It nearly destroyed me. I had such severe insomnia that, at one point, I didn't sleep for five straight nights.

- Jenny Lewis

Down, Had, Nearly, Personal Things

I felt like hip-hop was my music, it was like my outsider music... but then my mom started answering our phone, 'Yo, what's up.' She was hearing me talk to my friends. I was like, 'No, mom, don't cop the hip-hop talk.'

- Jenny Lewis

Cop, Like, Felt, Answering

My parents divorced when I was 3 years old. They had a lounge act in Las Vegas, where I was born. The band broke up and the marriage dissolved, and my mother, my sister and I moved to Southern California. And I didn't see my dad a lot growing up; he was on the road a lot. I'd see him every couple years.

- Jenny Lewis

Southern, Couple, Las Vegas, Divorced

I demo all of my songs on Garage Band, where I pretty much play everything - not very well, but I manage to hammer out a drum beat and a bass idea.

- Jenny Lewis

Play, Pretty, Very, Manage

When I first started touring, we had a crappy van, and we would all share rooms. So for many years as a grown adult woman, I would share a bed with a bandmate, whether it would be Jimmy Tamborello from the Postal Service or Pierre De Reeder from Rilo Kiley, just a pillow barrier between us sleeping on the same bed.

- Jenny Lewis

Bed, Rooms, Crappy, Postal Service

I wouldn't call it a faux pas, but I have about 12 tracksuits. I always travel in a tracksuit. I feel it makes people happy when they see me.

- Jenny Lewis

Happy, Always, About, Faux

I'm more in the Stones camp than the Beatles camp.

- Jenny Lewis

More, Stones, Than, Camp

I am in a constant cycle of selling my clothes at Wasteland and buying from Goodwill. Once or twice a year, I go through my closet and donate everything to Goodwill. It feels like I am recycling my fashion.

- Jenny Lewis

Through, Goodwill, Feels, Donate

When I was a teenager, I went to Europe on a backpacking trip by myself, and I met a woman who was following Sebadoh. It was the early 1990s, and that was my introduction to indie rock.

- Jenny Lewis

Myself, Woman, Indie, 1990s

I would never say anything's over forever. How could you possibly know how you feel? How could you shut the door on anything?

- Jenny Lewis

Door, Over, Shut, Possibly

I'm a huge reggae fan. I want to go to Jamaica and make, like, Bob Marley 'One Love' positive songs. That's what the world needs.

- Jenny Lewis

Love, Like, Needs, Jamaica

You can find me at three in the morning in my living room with a glass of wine and really bad '90s trip hop beats blaring from my headphones.

- Jenny Lewis

Living, Bad, Glass, Wine

It's pretty amazing to write under any circumstances when someone gives you an assignment to write a song, even if it doesn't get accepted. I've written songs a couple of times, some for Disney, that haven't actually ended up in their films, but then you're left with a song forever.

- Jenny Lewis

Amazing, Some, Couple, Any Circumstances

My mother's records were formative for me, but when I became a teenager, I wanted to find songs that she wasn't hip to. She was so hip, though, that I had to go outside rock n' roll - so for about 10 years, I only listened to hip-hop, house and techno.

- Jenny Lewis

Records, Roll, Became, Teenager

I don't write songs, play music and tour, really, for anyone else but myself. It's something that I have to do to stay alive.

- Jenny Lewis

Myself, Play, Alive, Play Music

For me personally, I just try to prove myself in my work. I'm just trying to get better at what I do, and hopefully that will impact women in music, and hopefully the girls in the crowd will see my up there as a bandleader and think, 'Wow, maybe I can do that one day.'

- Jenny Lewis

Crowd, Prove, Maybe, Wow

My true social media passion is making creepy short movies on Instagram.

- Jenny Lewis

Movies, Making, Social, Social Media

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