"You got to understand where you came from to know where you're going."Knowledge
"The stage is my church and music is my prayer."Faith
"I always tried to leave people better than I found them."
"A note out of tune is like a lie - everyone can hear it."
"I've been poor and I've been struggling, but I've always had my music."Perseverance
"The real gift is being able to touch people's hearts with what you do."
"I don't play the notes - I play the feelings between the notes."
"What separates people isn't color or money - it's whether they got soul."
"I wanted my trumpet to sing like the human voice - that was always my goal."
"Life teaches you more than any teacher could if you pay attention."
"The best audiences are the ones that let the music do the talking."
"I never wanted fame - I wanted to make a difference with my music."
"Two things saved my life: music and kindness from good people."Gratitude
"I learned everything I needed to know about rhythm from watching people dance."
"The sound of a trumpet in the night - there's nothing quite like it."Beauty
"I believe music can heal what words cannot."
"You're only as good as the last note you played."
"I never let my circumstances stop my dreaming."Dreams
"The stage taught me that life is performance - give it your all."
"I've always believed in playing from the gut, not the head."
"When you love what you do, it don't feel like work no more."
"I try to put myself in the music so people feel what I feel."
"The world's too heavy sometimes - music helps lighten the load."
"I learned that persistence beats talent when talent ain't persistent."
"Every person I met taught me something - that's how you grow."
"I believe in the power of one good song to change hearts."
"What I want people to remember is that I loved playing music."
"The trumpet is just metal and brass - the music comes from inside you."
"I never played a note without thinking about the person hearing it."
"Life's rough sometimes, but a good melody can smooth it out."