Traveling with a big band is like being an inmate in a traveling zoo.

Ragtime was my lullaby.

Never play anything that don't sound right. You might not make any money, but at least you won't get hostile with yourself.

Slow motion gets you there faster.

The trouble with doing nothing is that you can never take any time off.

I know Mother named me after a railroad man, but it's too late now, I'm afraid. Much, much too late.

In Hollywood, the rainbow hits the ground for composers.

I don't think I'll ever be president of anything.

I'm singing the music publisher's theme song - it ain't a commercial.

You sittin' here chained to your rockin' chair.

The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul.

Why do I write?To be somewhere elseTo get free of ourselvesTo stopTo stop being anything or anywhere at allTo disappear

The seeker for perfection must discover in his own life the reflection of the inner light.

a lesson must be livedin order to be learnedand the clarity to see and stop this nowthat is what i've earned

I wish I was a cool guy and could drink coffee black, but I put almond milk and raw cane sugar in it.

You were made for the place where your real #‎ passion meets #‎ compassion because there lies your real purpose.

One thing all stage mothers share is an overpowering ambition for their daughters.

I don't work with fear, and I don't work with actors that are fearful.

Don't give up on your ideals. Don't compromise. Don't turn to expediency. And for heaven's sake . . . don't get cynical.

Culture is a plot against the expansion of consciousness.