To hell with the rules. I'm going for the unknown.

Jazz shouldn't have any mandates. Jazz is not supposed to be something that's required to sound like jazz. For me, the word 'jazz' means, 'I dare you.'

If all you have is music, then you don't have music

The arts can open the door to the imagination, pushing the envelope of how peace can be created. It takes courage to take this kind of risk, and courage is what we all need to create a better world.

Music is interior decoration.

Go out on the stage as a human being and do not be afraid to show struggle in your music. It's a struggle in life and then struggle and then victory.

I always think of music as interior decoration. So, if you have all kinds of music, you are fully decorated!

No one really knows how to deal with the unexpected. How do you rehearse the unknown?

Composing is improvisation slowed down.

You're like the girl who left her shadow in the drawer, but when she went to get it, it wasn't there.

Your humanity is your instrument.

Leaders walk by faith, managers walk alone.

We have different kinds of intimacy with many, many people. I'm disappointed by well-written novels that only deal with two or three people.

I love a lot of people in bands and people doing weird art stuff, but i will always forget someone and i don't really want to be part of stamping the boundaries on a scene.

The whole history of pop music had rested on the first person singular, with occasional intrusions of the second person singular.

My son always says I like very weird music.

It is often those who are despised and trampled on that bear up the weight of a whole nation.

You are going to visit the land of marvels.

I think George Bush is going to win in a walk. I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004.

The other thing [my psychology professor] said to me was that I was always very mindful of the person who was away from the group, that I was always trying to bring them in.

And I wonder if there is really any point to what I'm doing, or what I'm supposed to make of a world where a man can get rich playing "let's pretend