Probably the most profound thing in the Bible is 'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.' This is what, to me, is the essence of Christianity.

Jazz stands for freedom. It's supposed to be the voice of freedom: Get out there and improvise, and take chances, and don't be a perfectionist - leave that to the classical musicians.

Jazz is about the only form of art existing today in which there is freedom of the individual without the loss of group contact.

Damn it, when I'm bombastic, I have my reasons. I want to be bombastic-take it or leave it.

Kinship doesn't come from skin color. It's in your soul and your mind.

It's like a whole orchestra, the piano for me.

The secret of a great melody is a secret.

I'm always hoping for the nights that are inspired where you almost have an out of body experience

Jazz is about freedom within discipline.

Don't be a perfectionist... leave that to the classical musicians.

We don't know the power that's within our own bodies

Just at present you only see the tree by the light of the lamp. I wonder when you would ever see the lamp by the light of the tree.

There are as many ways of loving as there are people, and that wildflower variety is the great beauty of this dimension of existence.

I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.

You lose only the things you have

Kobe's an incredibly talented athlete, and there are many more like him among today's players.

My husband is not running for the presidency, neither are my children, neither is our business, neither are our foster children.

Many of the early nationalisation measures were right. They have remained part of the social fabric. I favour measures of that type.

I had no plans to be a writer. My teenaged bid for stardom was to be a pop star... which, ahem, didn't exactly work out.

Sifting daylight dissolves the memory, turns it into dust motes floating in light.