Nina Simone

I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about… Now it was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important.

How do you explain what it feels like to get on the stage and make poetry that you know sinks into the hearts and souls of people who are unable to express it.

I would like you to know, I am a doctor of music.

I do not believe in mixing of the races. You can quote me. I don’t believe in it, and I never have. I’ve never changed. I’ve never changed my hair. I’ve never changed my color, I have always been proud of myself, and my fans are proud of me for remaining the way I’ve always been. I married a white man one time, but he was a creep.

Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.

Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking… The new inventive phrases we make up to describe things – all that to me is jazz just as much as the music we play.

A Jazz musician is supposed to find his voice, find his niche and do his thing.

Yeah, it’s more like playing what you think is appropriate for the moment, not forcing any particular style.

I don’t have to lay on the couch and see a therapist because my therapy is in art.

The fact that an artist is experiencing the joy of creation makes me feel like we’re in it together.

Jazz stresses less on technical exhibitionism and much more on emotional content.

It’s not what you do, but the way you’re doing it and in the end that’s all that we have.

Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor.

In our local Baptist church, I sang in the choir and formed a gospel quartet. When our minister caught me messing with his guitar, he taught me three positions – one, four and five. After that, I taught myself to play.

I’m not really on a mission to tell anybody anything. I’d rather be figured out.

Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one’s own.

You don’t chose your inspirations, they chose you.

Music doesn’t have to hop to be hip, as long as it swings it sings.

I think the one thing that I’ve learned is that you cannot predict what’s going to happen. You can’t sit back and try to figure out what people want or leave it up to them to decide. When we all started in this business we would dictate to the audience what was great and they picked up on that based on the fact that we believed that it was great. But that’s all changed. What’s happened in the last ten years or so because is that the technology now means that everyone with a computer can make music and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Jazz music is a special skill that has brought pleasure to millions throughout the world.

Music washes away the dust of every day life.