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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

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

End Music Myself Thinking Time Wrong
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
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
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
My music is the spiritual expression of what I am: my faith, my knowledge, my being.
JOHN COLTRANE

Existence Faith Knowledge Music Myself Spiritual
God breathes through us so completely, So gently we hardly feel it, yet it is our everything.
JOHN COLTRANE

Breathe Feeling Gentle God Ourselves
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
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
I never even thought about whether or not they understand what I’m doing, the emotional reaction is all that matters as long as there’s some feeling of communication, it isn’t necessary that it be understood.
JOHN COLTRANE

Communication Emotional Feeling Necessary Reaction Thinking Understand
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 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
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
I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.
JOHN COLTRANE

Known Myself Play Thinking
All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.
JOHN COLTRANE

Close Musician Source
Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being serious.
JOHN COLTRANE

Fun Investment Serious

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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