Ono-isms

A powerful collection of quotations from iconic artist and activist Yoko Ono.

Ono-isms is a collection of provocative and powerful quotations from influential artist, musician, songwriter, and peace activist Yoko Ono, providing a richer understanding of this important cultural icon. Since emerging on the international art scene in the early 1960s, Ono has made profound contributions to visual and performance art, filmmaking, and music in work that often radically questions the division between art and the everyday. In recent years she has embraced social media to communicate her artistic and activist messages to even broader audiences around the world.

Gathered from interviews, books, song lyrics, social media, and other sources, this nuanced book sheds new light on a complex and multifaceted artist who has shaped our culture in countless ways. The quotations close to 300 in all are arranged by subject: art, life, creativity, nature and the environment, love, music, women in society, and peace and social justice. The book also features an introduction and a chronology of Ono’s life and work.

‘I’ve never seen a line between music and art and performance. And that’s a problem for some people.‘
‘I think that all women are witches, in the sense that a witch is a magical being. And a wizard, which is a male version of a witch, is kind of revered, and people respect wizards. But a witch, my god, we have to burn them.‘
‘I think if you have a persona you show the world that’s separate from your true personality, the strain becomes too much. What [John Lennon and I] decided was just to be ourselves. We didn’t have a conference about it or anything. It’s just the most relaxing way to be.‘
‘I can take hatred, because I don’t believe that people are capable of real hate. We are too lonely for that. We vanish too quickly for that. Do you ever hate a cloud?‘
‘Concentrate your mind on giving, loving, and thanking. Each time you give, you are in less pain. Give as much as you can. Find something you can love. Love as much as you can. Thank as much as you can.’

Author Biography

Yoko Ono is an artist, musician, songwriter, and peace activist whose career has spanned more than seventy years. Her work has been featured in many solo and group exhibitions, including major retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate Modern in London. Her awards include the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the Venice Biennale.

Larry Warsh has been active in the art world for more than thirty years as a publisher and artist-collaborator. He is the editor of many books, including Warhol-isms, Weiwei-isms, Basquiat-isms, Haring-isms, Holzer-isms, and Abramovi-isms (all Princeton).