Gerry Mulligan

In a way, I started out to be a baritone player.

I’ve always wanted a C trumpet on top, to have that same kind of facility without shouting.

If you’ve only got one horn playing, I still want the sense of ensemble.

I’m fascinated with the electronic devices that we can mess around with.

What I came back to is that jazz is a music to be played and not to be intellectualized on.

Only the French, I guess, really use tenor and alto to any great extent in the orchestra.

My attitude is never to be satisfied, never enough, never.

To resent efficiency is a mark of inefficiency.

It’s so much easier to tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.

Words are only painted fire; a look is the fire itself.

I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don’t always agree with them.

Don’t be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so.

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

Opinions are like asses, every body’s got one!

Never ask anyone over 70 how they feel. They’ll tell you.

Some life lessons don’t ever change. But how you embrace them will distinguish you from the pack.

Every loss of life is terrible.

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.

When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes. Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean.

There is nothing to search for; everything you seek is already within.