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You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.

John Coltrane

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
God breathes through us so completely, So gently we hardly feel it, yet it is our everything.
JOHN COLTRANE

Breathe Feeling Gentle God Ourselves
All of the technique doesn’t matter only if the feeling is right.
JOHN COLTRANE

Feeling Right Technique
I’m into scales right now.
JOHN COLTRANE

Music Myself Right Scale
Working with Monk is like falling down a dark elevator shaft.
JOHN COLTRANE

Darkness Elevator Monk 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
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
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 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
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
Damn the rules, it’s the feeling that counts.
JOHN COLTRANE

Count Feeling Inspirational Rule
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
Jazz is a word they use to sell our music, but to me that word does not exist.
JOHN COLTRANE

Existence Music Ourselves Word
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
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
I think I know what it is but don’t ask me to play it.
JOHN COLTRANE

Known Myself Play Thinking
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
One positive thought produces millions of positive vibrations.
JOHN COLTRANE

Oneself Positive Thinking Vibration
I want to be the force which is truly for good.
JOHN COLTRANE

Force Goodness Myself True
The first time I heard Bird play, it hit me right between the eyes.
JOHN COLTRANE

Eyes Hear Music Myself Right
Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once.
JOHN COLTRANE

Direction Move Music Start
All a musician can do is to get closer to the source.
JOHN COLTRANE

Close Musician Source
Change is inevitable in music – things change.
JOHN COLTRANE

Change Music
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
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
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
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.

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You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.

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