Duke Ellington

"Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn’t want me to be too famous too young."

"Roaming through the jungle of "oohs" and "ahs," searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of primitivity with the mind of a child and an unquenchable thirst for sharps and flats."

"How can anyone expect to be understood unless he presents his thoughts with complete honesty? This situation is unfair because it asks too much of the world. In effect, we say, "I don't dare show you …"

"Playing "Bop" is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing."

"It's like an act of murder; you play with intent to commit something."

"By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with."

"Every man prays in his own language."

"There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind ... the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it's successful; if it…"