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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

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
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
Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once.
JOHN COLTRANE

Direction Move Music Start
My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being…When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups…I want to speak to their souls.
JOHN COLTRANE

Beginning Expression Goodness Knowledge Music People Possible Soul Spiritual Talk
Don’t ever get so big or important that you can not hear and listen to every other person.
JOHN COLTRANE

Important Listening Person Yourself
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
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 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
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
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
Change is inevitable in music – things change.
JOHN COLTRANE

Change Music
I believe that men are here to grow themselves into the best good that they can be – at least, this is what I want to do.
JOHN COLTRANE

Believe Goodness Growth Man Myself
I want to be the force which is truly for good.
JOHN COLTRANE

Force Goodness Myself True
I think music is an instrument. It can create the initial thought patterns that can change the thinking of people.
JOHN COLTRANE

Instrument Music Myself Pattern People Thinking
I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.
JOHN COLTRANE

Known Myself Play Thinking
Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my music as if for the first time, as if I had never heard it before. Being so inescapably a part of it, I’ll never know what the listener gets, what the listener feels, and that’s too bad.
JOHN COLTRANE

Bad Escape Feeling Listening Music Myself Time Walk

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.

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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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