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Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious.

John Coltrane

My goal is to live the truly religious life, and express it in my music. If you live it, when you play there’s no problem because the music is part of the whole thing. To be a musician is really something. It goes very, very deep. My music is the spiritual expression of what I am – my faith, my knowledge, my being.
JOHN COLTRANE

Expression Goal Knowledge Life Live Music Myself Religious True
All a musician can do is to get closer to the sources of nature, and so feel that he is in communion with the natural laws.
JOHN COLTRANE

Law Music Nature Source
One positive thought produces millions of positive vibrations.
JOHN COLTRANE

Oneself Positive Thinking Vibration
The main thing a musician would like to do is to give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe.
JOHN COLTRANE

Himself Listening Musician Picture Universe
The first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes.
JOHN COLTRANE

Eyes Hear Music Myself Right
I’m into scales right now.
JOHN COLTRANE

Music Myself Right Scale
I want to be a force for real good. In other words, I know there are bad forces. You know, I know that there are forces out here that bring suffering to others and misery to the world, but I want to be the opposite force. I want to be the force which is truly for good.
JOHN COLTRANE

Bad Force Goodness Misery Reality Suffering True
There is never any end, There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that we can really see what we’ve discovered in its pure state.
JOHN COLTRANE

Discover End Feeling Imagination Purify Sound State
I think I was first awakened to musical exploration by Dizzy Gillespie and Bird. It was through their work that I began to learn about musical structures and the more theoretical aspects of music.
JOHN COLTRANE

Aspect Awake Learning Music Myself Thinking
The real risk is not changing. I have to feel that I’m after something. If I make money, fine. But I’d rather be striving. It’s the striving, man, it’s that I want.
JOHN COLTRANE

Change Man Real Risk Strive
I want to be the force which is truly for good.
JOHN COLTRANE

Force Goodness Myself True
Any time you play your horn, it helps you. If you get down, you can help yourself even in a rock ‘n’ roll band.
JOHN COLTRANE

Help Horn Play Time Yourself
Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my music for the first time, as if I had never heard it before.
JOHN COLTRANE

Music Myself Time Walk
I’d like to point out to people the divine in a musical language that transcends words. I want to speak to their souls.
JOHN COLTRANE

Divine Language Musical Myself People Point Soul Talk
My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.
JOHN COLTRANE

Existence Faith Knowledge Music Myself Spiritual
Whatever I’d say would be an understatement. I can only say my life was made much better by knowing him. He was one of the greatest people I’ve ever known, as a man, a friend, and a musician.
JOHN COLTRANE

Better Friendship Greatness Known Life Musician Myself
Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once.
JOHN COLTRANE

Direction Move Music Start
I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.
JOHN COLTRANE

Known Myself Play Thinking
When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people.
JOHN COLTRANE

Beginning Goodness People Possible See
There are so many things to be considered in making music. The whole question of life itself… I know that I want to produce beautiful music, music that does things to people that they need.
JOHN COLTRANE

Beautiful Life Music Myself Need People Question
Considering the great heritage in music that we have – the work of the giants of the past, the present, and the promise of those who are to come – I feel that we have every reason to face the future optimistically.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Future Greatness Heritage Myself Optimist Reason Work
All of the technique doesn’t matter only if the feeling is right.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Right Technique
Sometimes I think I was making music through the wrong end of a magnifying glass.
JOHN COLTRANE

End Music Myself Thinking Time Wrong
I think the majority of musicians are interested in truth.
JOHN COLTRANE

Interest Musician Thinking Truth
I’ve always felt that even though a man was not a Christian, he still has to know the truth some way or another. Or if he was a Christian, he could know the truth. The truth itself doesn’t have any name on it to me. And each man has to find this for himself, I think.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Known Man Myself Name Thinking Truth
You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.
JOHN COLTRANE

Inspirational Music Passion Sincere Yourself
The reason I play so many sounds, maybe it sounds angry, is because I’m trying so many things at one time, you see? I haven’t sorted them out. I have a whole bag of things that I’m trying to work through and get the one essential.
JOHN COLTRANE

Essential Myself Play Reason Sound Time Work

Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious.

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Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious.

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