Duke Ellington

It’s like an act of murder; you play with intent to commit something.

Music is what I hear and something that I live by.

A problem is a chance for you to do your best.

Playing ‘bop’ is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.

Music, of course, is what I hear and something that I more or less live by. It’s not an occupation or profession, it’s a compulsion.

There is no art without intention.

Love cannot be defined, reduced, or ignored. It exists just the same for me, for you, for everyone.

Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.

A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.

Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.

It is true that I am often startled and even angered and repulsed by the strange directions and provocative content of new forms that seem to pop up every few months.

I lie and tell you I had a dream about you last night, so it makes it more socially acceptable to reach out to someone I haven’t spoken to in years.

Don’t make me put your head in my blender!

The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are. They are frank in admitting this and are willing to pay for such talents.

When people believe in boundaries, they become part of them.

If I was on the air and was just kind of a plain-vanilla personality that took the safe road and the safe way trying to please all of the people all of the time, I’d been gone in two weeks.

Opportunities are usually disguised by hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.

It was like being in the eye of a hurricane. You’d wake up in a concert and think, Wow, how did I get here?

I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.

There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves.

There are lies, damned lies and statistics.