“Charlie Christian showed me a lot, and was a great help, but even then, I realised that if I was going to make it, it was no use copying Charlie”

When I joined the trio, it was as if I was capable of driving a sports car at 60, but Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson just kept pressing the pedal down, and I was trying to control the car at 80!

Playing scales is like a boxer skipping rope or punching a bag. It’s not the thing in itself; it’s preparatory to the activity

I’m not interested in a marketable product: I’m interested in what I know from my life experience to be standards of excellence

Charlie Christians’ contributions to the electric guitar are as big as Thomas Edisons’ contributions to the world.

he signed his work .. you could always tell when it was Herb Ellis playing

Yoga allows you to rediscover a sense of wholeness in your life.

It is through the alignment of the body that I discovered the alignment of my mind, self, and intelligence.

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects of others.

When you see a mistake in somebody else, try to find if you are making the same mistake.

You go through big chunks of time where you’re just thinking, ‘this is impossible – oh,this is impossible’. And then you just keep going and keep going, and you sort of do the impossible.

Do not aim low, you will miss the mark. Aim high and you will be on a threshold of bliss.

Do not stop trying just because perfection eludes you.

The difference between successful people and others is how long they spend time feeling sorry for themselves.