On 8 December 1980, John Lennon was shot four times in the back outside of his apartment building in New York City.

He was 40 years old.

7 days after his death, millions of people paused their daily routines to honour Yoko Ono's request for ten minutes of silence in commemoration of his contributions.

30,000 gathered in Liverpool, 225,000 in New York City's Central Park. The radios went silent, too.



That strength of love for this man, this musician in a band, has quelled little over the years. His outspoken political activism has made him a herald for those who have so longed for global peace and "Imagine" has become their perennial anthem; it re-entered the UK charts at number 18 in 2012 after Emeli Sandé recorded a cover for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

His legacy is eternal, though his presence is so greatly missed.



And though he would have wished it weren't so, Lennon's words still ring just a true today as they did in his own lifetime. Here are a select few:

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."

"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace."

"You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die."

"We all have Hitler in us, but we also have love and peace. So why not give peace a chance for once?"

Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction Show all 11 1 /11 Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction In this undated photo released by Sotheby's Auction House in New York, one side of a handwritten, autographed manuscript by the late John Lennon is shown. The document, with the lyrics to 'A Day in the Life', will be offered at auction by Sotheby's in New York on Friday, 18 June, 2010 AP Photo/Sotheby's Auction House Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction In this undated photo released by Sotheby's Auction House in New York, one side of a handwritten, autographed manuscript by the late John Lennon is shown. The document, with the lyrics to 'A Day in the Life', will be offered at auction by Sotheby's in New York on Friday, 18 June, 2010 AP Photo/Sotheby's Auction House Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction The piano on which John Lennon wrote Imagine was bought by George Michael for £1.45m ($2.1m) in 2000. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction The drum skin used on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album sold for £541,250 ($1.07m) at auction in London - almost four times the estimate, in 2008. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction Jackson bought the ATV Music catalogue, which includes the Beatles' songs, in 1985, for a reported $47m (£34m) - outbidding ex-Beatle McCartney. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction A pair of tinted prescription sunglasses belonging to Lennon, which the singer wore for the cover of the single Mind Games, raised £39,650 ($78,400). Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction Lennon's Rolls Royce was bought for bought for $2,299,000 in 1985 for an exhibition at Ripley's 'Believe It Or Not' museum. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction A Gibson SG guitar used by Harrison during the recording of Revolver, and by Lennon during White Album sessions, fetched £294,000 ($570,000) in 2004. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction John Lennon's lyrics for Give Peace a Chance sold for £421,250 ($833,000) at Christie's rock memorabilia sale. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction John Lennon wore this leather necklace as The Beatles made records such as Sergeant Pepper and the White Album. It sold to a private US collector for £117,250 at Christie's in London. Getty Images Hand-written John Lennon lyrics head to auction A letter marking a key stage in the break-up of The Beatles was sold for £48,000 at a London auction. Signed by John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr under his real name Richard Starkey, the 1969 letter informed Lee Eastman, Paul McCartney's then music lawyer and father-in-law, he was not authorised to represent the band as well. Getty Images

"We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant.... You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it."

"What we’ve got to do is keep hope alive. Because without it we’ll sink."

"If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal."

John Lennon with his wife, Yoko Ono, photographed in 1969 (Getty)

"I can't wake you up. You can wake you up. I can't cure you. You can cure you."

“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.”