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There are 2 rules in life: Number 1- Never quit. Number2- Never forget rule number 1.

Duke Ellington

It’s like an act of murder – you play with intent to commit something.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Act Commitment Murder Play Yourself
The most important thing I look for in a musician is whether he knows how to listen.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Himself Important Known Listening Musician
Every man prays in his own language.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Himself Language Man Prayer
A Satin Doll is a woman who is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Doll Herself Pretty Woman
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
DUKE ELLINGTON

Beginning Boundary Classical Decision Difficult Lying
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it’s successful; if it doesn’t it has failed.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Failure Kind Music Result Success
Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Freedom Goodness Measurement
Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Limitation Love
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
Music is my mistress and she plays second fiddle to no one.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Herself Mistress Music Play
Everyone prays in their own language, and there is no language that God does not understand.
DUKE ELLINGTON

God Language Prayer Understand
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Meaning Yourself
Sing sweet, but put a little dirt in it.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Music Sing Song Sweet
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

Bond Friendship Myself Right
Be a number one yourself. And not a number two somebody else.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Be Yourself Effort Hard Work Inspirational Self Love
If it sounds good and feels good, then it IS good!
DUKE ELLINGTON

Feeling Music Sound

There are 2 rules in life: Number 1- Never quit. Number2- Never forget rule number 1.

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There are 2 rules in life: Number 1- Never quit. Number2- Never forget rule number 1.

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Popular Authors

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