Duke Ellington

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.

You can't just play the notes. You have to play the meaning.

I'm not interested in being a legend. I'm interested in being a good musician.

The blues is a feeling, not a color.

I don't have to be a genius to know what I'm doing.

Music is a spiritual thing. You don't play it, you feel it.

The beautiful thing about jazz is that it's always changing.

I'm just trying to make music that makes people feel good.

The greatest love of all is the love of music.

It's not what you play, it's how you play it.

I don't want to be a star. I want to be a legend.

Music is a universal language.

I'm just trying to make music that's honest.

The most important thing is to be yourself.

I'm not a composer. I'm a tone parallelist.

The music is the message.

I'm just trying to make music that's timeless.

My music is my life.

I don't have a style. I have a sound.

The world is a stage, and we are merely players.