“I’ve met every freak in the business.”

Excellence isn’t an act, it’s a habit.

If architecture is frozen music then music must be liquid architecture.

Editing while you’re writing is like strangling the baby in the crib.

Hell, nobody knows where jazz is going to go. There may be a kid right now in Chitlin Switch, Georgia, who is going to come along and upset everybody.

A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that’s the bottom line.

When I was about five or seven years old my mother was placed in a mental institution and so we were with our father who worked very hard, and we had to figure a lot of things out.

I don’t deserve a Songwriters Hall of Fame Award. But fifteen years ago, I had a brain operation and I didn’t deserve that, either. So I’ll keep it.

You cannot get an A if you’re afraid of getting an F.

My son is a hip-hop producer.

It’s amazing how much trouble you can get in when you don’t have anything else to do.

I was the most subtle person in the world.

The relationship with a producer and an artist is really special. It’s got to be love and respect, amazing mutual respect for each other, because that’s what makes a good record.

I’m a tremendous believer and supporter in hip-hop and rap.

Not one ounce of my self worth depends on your acceptance of me.

I chose the trombone because the trombone players in the marching band got to be up front with the majorettes (because of the slides) and I loved that!

Billy Strayhorn wrote Multicolored Blue. Billy to me is the boss of the arrangers.

There is no successful person in the world who was offended by the word loser.

The people on your team don’t make money from you unless you make money.

Risk is the price you pay to achieve your dreams.

Everyone falls, but how soon you’re able to stand up again that matters.  

Life, people and customers will never give you more than you ask for. Asking is a good habit. Ask often, Ask more.

Cross all the hurdles of hard work and achieve your goal

Great businesses come from great leadership, great leadership comes from great flexibility and great flexibility comes from great control. great control will give you a great life. 

People don’t buy your product, they buy your confidence.