Duke Ellington

"Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd."

"Sing your own song, it's cheaper to you."

"Each human being is an unexplored universe."

"The true test of civilization is not the census or the size of our cities, but the kind of man our country produces."

"There are two kinds of worries: those you can do something about and those you can't."

"I think about the legacy that I want to leave and how I can help others."

"Money is like notes in music. You can have them, but if they don't mean anything, they're just noise."

"What we call jazz is actually American music."

"If it sounds good and it feels good, then it is good."

"Tomorrow may never come. Grab what you can today."

"Life is all about evolving, and music is the highest form of that evolution."

"The mark of a good musician is patience."

"Never jump on a horse unless you can get off."

"You see, a real problem is, we've got too many people looking for someone else to do the job."

"I think that the most important thing is to be true to yourself."

"Composing is like cooking. You taste as you go."

"The cotton club gave us the energy to create something new."

"A cat meows to get what it wants. A musician plays to give what they have."

"Confusion is just the beginning of understanding."

"You should do something about the future because that's where you'll spend the rest of your life."

"I think the problems we face are becoming more human problems."

"One thing about music is that it transcends everything."

"Strength isn't about not having fears. It's about moving forward despite them."

"The mind of man is capable of anything."

"There's nobody who doesn't like Duke Ellington."

"Age is something that doesn't matter unless you're a cheese."

"I've always believed that God blessed us with two ends for a reason."

"Man, sometimes it snows in April."

"The greatest achievement is selflessness."

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste."