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Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.

Nina Simone

How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?
NINA SIMONE

Artist Reflection Time
I demand perfection in what I do, and I practice very hard before I give a concert-sometimes three to six hours a day.
NINA SIMONE

Day Demand Myself Perfection Practice
Talent is a burden not a joy. I am not of this planet. I do not come from you. I am not like you.
NINA SIMONE

Burden Myself Planet Talent
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” a song that was written for Simone, she confronted the band’s lead singer, Eric Burdon. “So you’re the honky,” she said, “who stole my song and got a hit out of it?
NINA SIMONE

Herself Leadership Misunderstanding Singing Writing Yourself
Once I understood Bach’s music, I wanted to be a concert pianist. Bach made me dedicate my life to music, and it was that teacher who introduced me to his world.
NINA SIMONE

Dedication Introduction Music Myself Teacher World
Life is short. People are not easy to know. They’re not easy to know, so if you don’t tell them how you feel, you’re not going to get anywhere, I feel.
NINA SIMONE

Easy Feeling Life Myself People
I was always a politician from the day the civil rights people chose me as their protest singer.
NINA SIMONE

Day Myself People Politics Singer
I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about… Now it was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important.
NINA SIMONE

Dedication Excellence Freedom Music Myself Pursue
It was always Marx, Lenin, and revolution – real girl’s talk.
NINA SIMONE

Reality Revolution Talk
I think the rich will eventually have to cave in too, because the economic situation around the world is not gonna tolerate the United States being on top forever.
NINA SIMONE

Economics Forever Myself Rich Thinking
We have ordered things so long in a certain way, we are numb. Nobody dares question it. This is what is wrong, symbolically, with America.
NINA SIMONE

Dare Order Question Symbol Wrong
I love the classics but there are many new ideas to be made into reality. I’d rather be concerned with my own thing. There are many masters of classical piano so I’ll leave it to them.
NINA SIMONE

Classics Love Master Myself
You’ve got to learn to leave the table When love’s no longer being served”.
NINA SIMONE

Learning Serve Yourself
I think if I were over there in America, protest music would be more important. But I’m not going.
NINA SIMONE

Important Music Myself Thinking
My name sounds French but that’s just a stage name.
NINA SIMONE

Home Name Sound Stage
I try to swim every damn day I can, and I’ve learned to scuba dive and snorkel.
NINA SIMONE

Day Learning Myself

Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.

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Everything that happened to me as a child involved music. It was part of everyday life, as automatic as breathing.

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Popular Authors

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