Art was not created as a way to riches. Strive to become a true artist; all else will take care of itself.

If we were all determined to play the first violin we should never have an ensemble. therefore, respect every musician in his proper place.

The principal mark of genius is not perfection, but originality.

To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.

Talent works, genius creates.

When you play, never mind who listens to you.

For me, music is always the language which permits one to converse with the Beyond.

Play always as if in the presence of a master.

I am so fresh in soul and spirit that life gushes and bubbles around me in a thousand springs.

When you play, do not trouble yourself as to who is listening. Yet always play as though a master listened to you.

In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of.

Money chases good ideas

Some flowers need flames to find their way into this world.

You devise ways to tell a story that complies with your sensibility. Style and method are really extensions of your present sensibility.

You need to make plans for your future, so plan your own future.

Faith simply tunes into and turns on the divine flow that has always been present.

It's simply not enough to just show up and do your work. Superior performance is not, never has been, nor will it ever be, the by-product of ordinary efforts.

I am not interested only in telling a story, but I want to tell it my way. I don't want my accent, my temperament, my narrative style to be compromised to fit into a mold of the Hollywood type.

There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.

Charisma is the intangible that makes people want to follow you, to be around you, to be influenced by you.

I spend more time with Gucci [Mane] or Birdman than 300, but all this is just family. Who cares [about] contracts?