John Lennon

If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that… I believe in what I do, and I’ll say it.

Possession isn’t nine-tenths of the law. It’s nine-tenths of the problem.

I don’t believe in killing whatever the reason!

Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.

Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only publishers who think that people own it.

The thing the sixties did was to show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.

Always look ahead, but never look back.

I really feel like I made it a great record. I really feel good about it. In this day and age to make a record that you say, ‘This is different,’ that’s a tough nut. I did it by accident but it got done. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know how to do it.

The first jazz I heard was Duke Ellington. I was learning to play classical music, but my teacher swapped out those lessons for jazz lessons because I had started adding grace notes to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.

I asked my mother could I have an instrument. She said, ‘Well if you go out and save your money.’ So I went and got – I made me a shine box. I went out and started shining shoes, and I’d bring whatever I made.

You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians.

When there was vinyl, I just loved opening a record and smelling that wonderful smell.

No one remembers who wrote the tune, putting pen to paper in some lonely place. They remember who had the hit.

[on B. B. King] Very seldom does he talks about the way he play, man. He always wanna talk about young women. And I fuss at him sometimes, I say, ‘Man I wanna know what did you do here!’

Jazz is the only music in which the same note can be played night after night, but differently each time.

If I don’t learn something new every day, it’s a day lost

I think I love it more as I get older because I keep getting better on drums, vibes and piano.

A musician starting out today should get a great teacher and learn all there is to know about the instrument.

Especially, I want my work-and the trios if possible-to sing.

I am inclined to just write music and not worry about what people can or can’t do.

You’re just as beautiful as you feel.