There is no art when one does something without intention.
DUKE ELLINGTONWithout a deadline, baby, I wouldn’t do nothing.
More Duke Ellington Quotes
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Self-discipline, as a virtue or an acquired asset, can be invaluable to anyone.
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Sing sweet, but put a little dirt in it.
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Critics have their purposes, 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 they did.
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Somehow I suspect that if Shakespeare were alive today, he might be a jazz fan himself.
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There are 2 rules in life: Number 1- Never quit. Number2- Never forget rule number 1.
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You have to stop listening in categories. The music is either good or it’s bad.
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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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Selfishness can be a virtue. Selfishness is essential to survival, and without survival we cannot protect those whom we love more than ourselves.
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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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Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.
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There is no art without intention.
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You’ve got to find a way of saying it without saying it.
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I like any and all of my associations with music: writing, playing, and listening. We write and play from our perspective, and the audience listens from its perspective. If and when we agree, I am lucky.
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The most important thing I look for in a musician is whether he knows how to listen.
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Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine.
DUKE ELLINGTON






