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First you imitate, then you innovate.

Miles Davis

You can’t eat a winner’s plaque.
MILES DAVIS

Eat Win Yourself
White folks always think that you have to have a label on everything – you know what I mean?
MILES DAVIS

Known Label Thinking Yourself
I think every Negro over fifty should get a medal for putting up with all that crap.
MILES DAVIS

Thinking Tolerance
Don’t worry about playing a lot of notes. Just find one pretty one.
MILES DAVIS

Finding Music Notes Oneself Play Worry
It took me twenty years study and practice to work up to what I wanted to play in this performance. How can she expect to listen five minutes and understand it?
MILES DAVIS

Expectation Herself Instrument Musician Performance Practice Time Understand
I ain’t no entertainer, and ain’t trying to be one. I am one thing, a musician.
MILES DAVIS

Entertainment Musician Myself Trying
If you have to ask, you’ll never know.
MILES DAVIS

Unknown Yourself
He sounded to me like he’s supposed to be the savior of jazz. Sometimes people speak as though someone asked them a question. Well, no one asked him a question.
MILES DAVIS

Oneself People Question Sound Time
You should never be comfortable, man. Being comfortable fouled up a lot of musicians.
MILES DAVIS

Comfortable Musician Ruin Yourself
Some day I’m gonna call me up on the phone, so when I answer, I can tell myself to shut up.
MILES DAVIS

Answer Call Myself Phone
The way you change and help music is by tryin’ to invent new ways to play.
MILES DAVIS

Change Help Music Play Way
If you love them in the morning with their eyes full of crust; if you love them at night with their hair full of rollers, chances are, you’re in love.
MILES DAVIS

Chance Eyes Hair Love Morning Night Yourself
You have to practice for a long time before you can learn to sound like yourself.
MILES DAVIS

Learning Practice Sound Time Yourself
What’s swinging in words? If a guy makes you pat your foot and if you feel it down your back, you don’t have to ask anybody if that’s good music or not. You can always feel it.
MILES DAVIS

Down Feeling Foot Goodness Music Word Yourself
A legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do. I’m still doing it.
MILES DAVIS

Known Man Myself Old
If I hear a song like “Time After Time.” I’m sittin’ there lookin’ at video and Cindy Lauper comes on singin’ this song. I said, “God damnnnnn!”
MILES DAVIS

Goodness Music Myself Time Video
Knowledge is freedom and ignorance is slavery.
MILES DAVIS

Freedom Ignorance Knowledge Slave
If somebody told me I only had an hour to live, I’d spend it choking a white man. I’d do it nice and slow.
MILES DAVIS

Kill Live Man Myself Slow White
In music, silence is more important than sound.
MILES DAVIS

Important Music Silence Sound
Do not be afraid of errors. There are no errors.
MILES DAVIS

Afraid Errors Inspirational Mistake Perspective
Music is the framework around the silence.
MILES DAVIS

Framework Music Perspective Silence
I never thought Jazz was meant to be a museum piece like other dead things once considered artistic.
MILES DAVIS

Artistic Death Music Pieces
You know why I quit playing ballads? Cause I love playing ballads.
MILES DAVIS

Love Music Myself Play Quit
It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note – it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.
MILES DAVIS

Instrument Music Play Right Wrong Yourself
The only reason to write a new song is because you’re tired of the old ones.
MILES DAVIS

Old Reason Tired Writing Yourself
[Jazz musicians] feel comfortable with their clichés, you know.
MILES DAVIS

Comfortable Feeling Known
I don’t care if a dude is purple with green breath as long as he can swing.
MILES DAVIS

Appearance Care Himself Myself

First you imitate, then you innovate.

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First you imitate, then you innovate.

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