Gershwin's tragedy was not that he failed to cross the tracks, but rather that he did, and once there in his new habitat, was deprived of the chance to plunge his roots firmly into the new soil.

Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise.

True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time.

Originality is the only thing that counts. But the originator uses material and ideas that occur round him and pass through him. And out of his experience comes the original creation.

Jazz is one of the best things that you can find in your life, it can always be your friend.

I like to think of music as an emotional science.

Look at the piano. You'll notice that there are white notes and black notes. Figure out the difference between them and you'll be able to make whatever kind of music you want.

Jazz I regard as an American folk music; not the only one, but a very powerful one which is probably in the blood and feeling of the American people more than any other style of folk music.

Music sets up certain vibration which unquestionably results in a physical reaction. Eventually the proper vibration for every person will be found and utilized.

I didn't even start playing the piano until I was about 13 or 14. I guess I must have had a little talent or whatever-you-call-it, but I practised regularly, and that's what counts.

Why should I limit myself to only one woman when I can have as many women as I want?

Passion is the fire that gets us moving and keeps us motivated regardless of what roadblocks impede the way.

I guess I figured that as long as I was with people I loved, I was home. It didn't matter where we were or what kind of place we lived in. We had each other and that was enough.

Charity degrades those who receive it and hardens those who dispense it.

Nothing surprises me. After Donald Trump, nothing matters, does it?

Film is like a drug. It is a shelter when you cannot deal with reality.

To me, there's nothing worse than going to a concert and you're so looking forward to hearing your favorite song and they never play it. You're gutted.

You never stop learning your craft. That's the key to success within yourself as an actor.

We, as athletes, have our suspicions about who's cheating, but I'm not convinced that the testing has yet caught up with what people are using or what they are using to disguise it.

You don't see something until you have the right metaphor to perceive it.

‎Experts are clueless.