George Gershwin

"Music is the language of the soul"

"Life is a lot like jazz. It's better when you improvise."

"The real American folk song is a rag - that's where soul lives."

"I don't think there's enough pain in the world to write a great song about happiness."

"Swanee showed me that writing hits was possible, but I wanted to write something more."

"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does. That's what separates artists from dreamers."

"Rhapsody in Blue came from wanting to capture America in music - all its energy and dreams."

"Every composer has the right to make their own mistakes."

"The modern composer must learn to express himself simply, but with originality."

"I hate to be categorized. I want my music to speak for itself."

"Success means nothing if you're not creating from the heart."

"My brother Ira and I pushed each other to be better every single day."

"Writing music is like having a conversation with yourself about what matters most."

"American music needed to find its own voice, and jazz gave it one."

"I believe in always moving forward, never settling for what was done yesterday."

"The theater taught me that entertainment and art don't have to be separate things."

"Inspiration doesn't come sitting still - you have to go out and live."

"When I write, I'm trying to touch something true about the human experience."

"Jazz rhythms come from the streets, from real people, real emotions."

"A song is only as good as its melody - everything else serves that."

"I wanted to prove that American composers could stand with the Europeans."

"Music is the language when words aren't enough to say what you feel."

"The combination of a piano and orchestra is endlessly fascinating to me."

"You learn composition by composing, not by studying theory alone."

"I've never been interested in being comfortable - comfort kills creativity."

"Every piece I write is an attempt to understand something about myself."

"The blues taught me more about human emotion than any textbook could."

"Work hard, stay humble, and let the music speak louder than the ego."

"I surrounded myself with people who challenged me to be better."

"The stage is where you discover if your ideas actually connect with people."