Simon Cowell Quotes (76 Quotes)

I find Paula patronizing. It's as simple as that. Paula is more damaging than I am to these contestants because a lot of people just shouldn't be singing for a living.

When I was young and we got caught pinching apples, we got a smack from the local policeman. Today if that happened he would be sued. There is a tendency to punish the victim, not the criminal. If someone broke into my house or my mum's house, I worry that the burglar has more rights than me.

Honestly, to see these guys perform tonight is the proudest moment of my life. I came up with the idea four years ago. I just thought we should bring this music to the masses like we've done tonight. You see the reaction.

Whether they run a record company or a grocery store, every boss will tell you you're in big trouble if you're borrowing more than you can ever afford to pay back. Delaying the pain for future generations is suicidal. We've got to start getting the deficit down right now, not next year.

I don't think I can do this anymore.

And there's more open hostility among them because the competition is so intense.

I think that by ignoring the show you're ignoring the audience who put you there.

This is the show I've always wanted to make. We are looking for the best entertainer or entertainers in America.

The end of the animal trade would leave more time to trap or beat to death pop star wannabes.

My proudest achievement has been the success of the shows and artists I have been involved with, because they were made in Britain.

You have the perfect voice for that kind of song. There's nothing more I can say.

He won't be winning this competition. You heard it here first.

Shave off your beard and wear a dress. You would be a great female impersonator.

It's like Randy went deaf this year. I don't know what happened.

I couldn't understand a single word you said.

That was a very, very good choice of a song, and it was a great song -- a very sexy song.

I thought that deserved tears but for a very different reason. ... I thought it was like the never ending song.

This was the only performance which stands up in the real world -- tonight you were the standard.

That process works very well, in that you've got a very clear A to Z path. But you've also got a sense of responsibility from the judges, who actually try to help the contestants.

You are a saucy little thing aren't you?

We felt the time was right to open up the boundaries, and say to all of America, regardless of your age, whether you're 2, whether you're 100, regardless of what you believe your talent is -- juggling, magic, singing -- this is the show you can enter. It's as simple as that.

They all hate each other deep down, but they're not gonna say it on camera. Ask Kelly how many congratulation e-mails she got from the other contestants. Probably zero. But that's the music business. In a positive way, I like that. I like the fact that people enter the show because they might win.

I met someone the other night who's 28 years old, and he hasn't worked a day since he left college because he's pursuing a dream he'll never, ever realize: He thinks he's a great singer. Actually, he's crap.

I said, 'Take me to Watford,' and put a gun to his head.

In my opinion, this was your best performance so far.

If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.

Not everybody is perfect, and I don't think we should be looking for perfect people.

To me, it was absolutely crystal clear at this stage last year that Carrie Underwood would win the competition. So it all felt a bit obvious. Whereas this year, I could argue the case for seven or eight of the contestants. I genuinely don't know who's gonna win. I've got a feeling who are gonna make the finals. But once you're in the finals, I think you're gonna have the most open competition you've ever seen, which for us and the viewers at home, that's a good thing.

We have hated the French for years. Now you have just joined the club. It makes you much more likable.

Thank God for Chris Daughtry. We had some good performances tonight, but this was the only real-world performance. Best tonight by and large.

I thought it was like the never-ending song. It was so bland. You were like a robot during that performance.

That was 100 times better than the other performances tonight.

Randy's OK, Paula's a pain in the ass. She's just one of those irritating people. I agree with some of what she says, I disagree with a hell of a lot of what she says. I keep my time with her to a minimum.

It was probably the easiest sell I've ever done, ... I did it on my mobile, and after two minutes of telling her about the show, she said she'd buy the idea.

We saw a young girl we all thought was fantastic.

We told the judges that we would rather you were human about the approach rather than completely scientific, otherwise it turns into a gadget show. The show has a lot of similarities to Idol in that you can relate to the person coming into the room and form an opinion early on.

Yes, I thought he knew it was a joke, but he did take it a bit seriously.

No, I probably owed the bank about a million dollars then, yeah.

They don't perform that song live because it's not a very good song.

I think you have to judge everything based on your personal taste. And if that means being critical, so be it. I hate political correctness. I absolutely loathe it.

Thank God for Chris. This, for me, was the only real-world performance. I can actually imagine you having a hit with this record. . . . Best tonight by a mile.

I have always hated celebrities lecturing people on politics. So forgive me. But I am passionate about this country. I am equally passionate about the potential of the people who live here.

I do a couple of hundred press-ups a day but I haven't been to a gym in years.

Look, she doesn't need to thank me and she doesn't need to thank American Idol. She does need to thank the fans who voted for her on American Idol. That's all.

I think we've got better talent than last year, There are two or three contestants, even without the competition, we would take seriously as a record label. If I don't find an international artist this year, then I will have failed. That is the one thing that interests me,

Personally, I hope to find the next Siegfried and Roy.

I like that people love Taylor.

I think you're the first artist we've had on the show who's refused to compromise.

I think you're going to be a very successful model.

I think you're going to find over the next few years that there are going to be an awful lot of 'Idol' imitators. I'd never dream of doing another 'Idol.' Most of the shows at the moment are either about singers or dancers or models. This is the first sho