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If you sacrifice your art because of some woman, or some man, or for some color, or for some wealth, you can’t be trusted.

Miles Davis

To keep creating you have to be about change.
MILES DAVIS

Change Creation Yourself
I used to enjoy all the white bands when I was a kid listening to the radio. But the record companies, they take music and label it – like, they say “rock”. Because the white singers can’t sound like James Brown, they call him “soul”. They’ve been doing that for years. That’s the prejudice crap.
MILES DAVIS

Enjoyment Listening White
I think every Negro over fifty should get a medal for putting up with all that crap.
MILES DAVIS

Thinking Tolerance
Jazz is an Uncle Tom word. They should stop using that word for selling. I told George Wein the other day that he should stop using it.
MILES DAVIS

Music Myself Sell Word
You can tell whether a person plays well or not by the way he carries the instrument, whether it means something to him or not.
MILES DAVIS

Instrument Person Play Yourself
I’ve always told the musicians in my band to play what they know and then play above that. Because then anything can happen, and that’s where great art and music happens.
MILES DAVIS

Art Greatness Music Play
That was my gift having the ability to put certain guys together that would create a chemistry and then letting them go; letting them play what they knew, and above it.
MILES DAVIS

Ability Chemistry Known Play Togetherness
Do not be afraid of errors. There are no errors.
MILES DAVIS

Afraid Errors Inspirational Mistake Perspective
I can’t write anything for myself. I can write when I hear like [John] Coltrane play something; I used to write chords and stuff for him to play in one bar. I can write for other people, but I don’t never write for myself.
MILES DAVIS

Lyrics Music Myself People Play Writing
First you imitate, then you innovate.
MILES DAVIS

Art Creation Imitation Innovation Yourself
I’m not messing around with nobody’s woman. If I want a woman I go get her – you know what I mean?
MILES DAVIS

Known Myself Woman
Americans don’t like any form of art, man. All they like to do is make money. They don’t like me, Sammy Davis, or anybody else. They don’t like nothing. They just like Sammy because he can make ’em a lot of money.
MILES DAVIS

Art Celebrity Form Man Money Musician
You have to know 400 notes that you can play, then pick the right four.
MILES DAVIS

Instrument Music Play Right Yourself
I don’t care if a dude is purple with green breath as long as he can swing.
MILES DAVIS

Appearance Care Himself Myself
Good music is good no matter what kind of music it is.
MILES DAVIS

Goodness Music
In high school I was best in music class on the trumpet, but the prizes went to the boys with blue eyes. I made up my mind to outdo anybody white on my horn.
MILES DAVIS

Best Discrimination Musician Myself White

If you sacrifice your art because of some woman, or some man, or for some color, or for some wealth, you can’t be trusted.

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If you sacrifice your art because of some woman, or some man, or for some color, or for some wealth, you can’t be trusted.

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Popular Authors

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