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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.

Duke Ellington

Dancing is very important to people who play music with a beat. I think that people who don’t dance, or who never did dance, don’t really understand the beat. I know musicians who don’t and never did dance, and they have difficulty communicating.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Communication Dance Important Myself People
Every man prays in his own language.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Himself Language Man Prayer
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?
DUKE ELLINGTON

Interest Music Problem Yourself
Gray skies are just clouds passing over.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Cloud Pass Sky
If it sounds good and feels good, then it IS good!
DUKE ELLINGTON

Feeling Music Sound
I don’t need time, I need a deadline.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Limitation Myself Time
Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Freedom Goodness Measurement
Jazz today, as always in the past, is a matter of thoughtful creation, not mere unaided instinct.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Creation Instinct Past Thinking
Selfishness can be a virtue. Selfishness is essential to survival, and without survival we cannot protect those whom we love more than ourselves.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Ourselves Selfish Survive Virtue
New York is a place where the rich walk, the poor drive Cadillacs, and beggars die of malnutrition with thousands of dollars hidden in their mattresses.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Death Hide Place Walk
Sing sweet, but put a little dirt in it.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Music Sing Song Sweet
Music, of course, is what I hear and something that I more or less live by. It’s not an occupation or profession, it’s a compulsion.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Live Music Myself Occupation Profession
The most important thing I look for in a musician is whether he knows how to listen.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Himself Important Known Listening Musician
Be a number one yourself. And not a number two somebody else.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Be Yourself Effort Hard Work Inspirational Self Love
I fluffed off the guy who kept requesting tunes all night, then found out he was the King’s son.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Finding Himself Man Request
Somehow I suspect that if Shakespeare were alive today, he might be a jazz fan himself.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Alive Fans Himself Suspect

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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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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