What I've got to live up to, is being myself. If I do that, the rest will take care of itself.

Don't go backwards - you've already been there.

Music to me is like breathing. I don't get tired of breathing, I don't get tired of music.

Just because you can't see anything , doesn't mean you should shut your eyes.

What is a soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room.

Love is a special word, and I use it only when I mean it. You say the word too much and it becomes cheap.

Affluence separates people. Poverty knits 'em together. You got some sugar and I don't; I borrow some of yours. Next month you might not have any flour; well, I'll give you some of mine.

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.

There are many spokes on the wheel of life. First, we're here to explore new possibilities.

Live each day like it's your last, 'cause one day you gonna be right

There's nothing written in the Bible, Old or New testament, that says, 'If you believe in Me, you ain't going to have no troubles.'

You character and action will reveal your purpose.

Something can only become an illusion after disillusionment. Before that, it is something real.

Never keep long and be waiting. Waiters and quitters have just a slight difference but a common end.

But however measurable, there is much more life in music than mathematics or logic ever dreamed of.

I'm not romanticizing black people, because we've got gangsters like everybody else.

And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.

But above that, most mature adults can hold their attention on something for 45 minutes, whether they like it or not. But above that requires training.

A statesman is a successful politician who is dead.

You can only govern men by serving them.

What you earn depends on what you learn.