I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
DUKE ELLINGTONI’m sure critics have their purpose, and they’re supposed to do what they do, but sometimes they get a little carried away with what they think someone should have done, rather than concerning themselves with what he did.
More Duke Ellington Quotes
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What does music mean to you? What would you do without music?
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Self-discipline, as a virtue or an acquired asset, can be invaluable to anyone.
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My biggest kick in music -playing or writing- is when I have a problem. Without a problem to solve, how much interest do you take in anything?
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There are two kinds of worries – those you can do something about and those you can’t. Don’t spend any time on the latter.
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Yet, every time God’s children have thrown away fear in pursuit of honesty-trying to communicate themselves, understood or not, miracles have happened.
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I don’t need time. What I need is a deadline!
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Jazz today, as always in the past, is a matter of thoughtful creation, not mere unaided instinct.
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Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.
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A goal is a dream with a finish line.
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It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide where jazz starts or where it stops, where Tin Pan Alley begins and jazz ends, or even where the borderline lies between between classical music and jazz. I feel there is no boundary line
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I fluffed off the guy who kept requesting tunes all night, then found out he was the King’s son.
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Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.
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Love is indescribable and unconditional. I could tell you a thousand things that it is not, but not one that it is. Either you have it or you haven’t; there’s no proof of it.
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By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.
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A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
DUKE ELLINGTON






