Any good music must be an innovation.

I'm not an intellectual composer.

I write emotional music.

Under my contract with Capitol, I have complete freedom to do just about anything I want in my own way.

Regardless of who originally made it popular, any hit song becomes a challenge to the ingenuity and imagination of other musicians and performers.

I aim my arrangements at what will fit and colorfully frame the song in the best way possible.

I did the Broadway album unfortunately in a year when there were no hits.

I love doing concert music.

When I want 30 musicians in the orchestra, I get 30.

That was when the Spanish came in and conquered the Aztecs. I thought that was a clever thing.

In a sense, a hit belongs to the person who made it popular, but if a tune is good enough to attain tremendous success, then it certainly deserves more than one version, one treatment, one approach.

God always turns a person’s weakness into strength

We're all a beautiful, wonderful work in progress....Embrace the process!

The gratification of a thoughtless pleasure soon evaporates; the pleasure of a gratifying thought never ends.

Violence is never the answer, unless you don't feel like talking.

You lose only the things you have

Should have dogs before they have kids. Everybody.

I became a Republican when a very wise young lady asked me how I could remain a Democrat when I didn't agree with what they stood for and did agree with what the Republicans supported.

I was a stranger and you took me in. -Joji G. Shoji, d. 1921

There is never an embarrassing silence that can't be turned into a regrettable conversation.

I've made every mistake - but mistakes are how you learn.