I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
DUKE ELLINGTONCritics 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.
More Duke Ellington Quotes
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If you have a great band with a mediocre drummer, you have a mediocre band. If you have a mediocre band with a great drummer, you have a great band!
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There is hardly any money interest in art, and music will be there when money is gone.
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I’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.
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Everyone prays in their own language, and there is no language that God does not understand.
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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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If it sounds good and feels good, then it IS good!
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Create, and be true to yourself, and depend only on your own good taste.
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The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
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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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I don’t need time, I need a deadline.
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The Europeans who went to Africa came back with “modern’ art. What is more African than a Picasso?
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A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
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It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
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A Satin Doll is a woman who is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.
DUKE ELLINGTON