black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

I believe in racial memory too. I’m sure I’ve got ancient African blood in me that has something to do with what I am.

Nina Simone

Theory and harmony broadened my mind in music. I know what music is made of.
NINA SIMONE

Mindset Music Myself Theory
I believe in racial memory too. I’m sure I’ve got ancient African blood in me that has something to do with what I am.
NINA SIMONE

Blood Identity Memories Myself Race
To most white people, jazz means black and jazz means dirt, and that’s not what I play. I play black classical music.
NINA SIMONE

Music Myself People Play
If I get an idea I put it on tape and somebody else writes it out.
NINA SIMONE

Ideas Myself Writing
I love the classics but there are many new ideas to be made into reality. I’d rather be concerned with my own thing. There are many masters of classical piano so I’ll leave it to them.
NINA SIMONE

Classics Love Master Myself
Once I understood Bach’s music, I wanted to be a concert pianist. Bach made me dedicate my life to music, and it was that teacher who introduced me to his world.
NINA SIMONE

Dedication Introduction Music Myself Teacher World
Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.
NINA SIMONE

Black Definition Myself People
Music is the center of my life.
NINA SIMONE

Life Music One Liner
I was always a politician from the day the civil rights people chose me as their protest singer.
NINA SIMONE

Day Myself People Politics Singer
I made wine from the lilac tree/Put my heart in its recipe/It makes me see what I want to see/And be what I want to be.
NINA SIMONE

Myself See Tree Wine
My singing, if you want to call it that is merely another medium of expression. Just an instrument I play. That’s how I see my voice.
NINA SIMONE

Call Expression Instrument Myself See Singing Voice
This is the world you have made yourself, now you have to live in it.
NINA SIMONE

Live World Yourself
I think the rich will eventually have to cave in too, because the economic situation around the world is not gonna tolerate the United States being on top forever.
NINA SIMONE

Economics Forever Myself Rich Thinking
I’m a real rebel with a cause.
NINA SIMONE

Reality Reason Rebel
Music is a gift and a burden I’ve had since I can remember who I was.
NINA SIMONE

Burden Gift Music Myself Remember
I had spent many years pursuing excellence, because that is what classical music is all about… Now it was dedicated to freedom, and that was far more important.
NINA SIMONE

Dedication Excellence Freedom Music Myself Pursue
You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.
NINA SIMONE

Artist Help Reflection Time
Music is an art and art has its own rules.
NINA SIMONE

Art Music Rule
When a child is gifted, people try to help that child.
NINA SIMONE

Children Gift Help People
How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?
NINA SIMONE

Artist Reflection Time
My name sounds French but that’s just a stage name.
NINA SIMONE

Home Name Sound Stage
How do you explain what it feels like to get on the stage and make poetry that you know sinks into the hearts and souls of people who are unable to express it.
NINA SIMONE

Explanation Expression Feeling Poetry Soul Stage Yourself
Slavery has never been abolished from America’s way of thinking.
NINA SIMONE

Abolish Slave Thinking Way
My love is like the wind and wild is the wind. Give me more than one caress, satisfy my hungriness. Let the wind blow through your heart for wild is the wind.
NINA SIMONE

Blow Heart Love Myself Satisfaction Wild Wind
Music is one of the ways by which you can know everything which is going on in the world. You can feel through music. Whew you can feel the vibrations of everybody in the world at any given moment.
NINA SIMONE

Feeling Moments Music Vibration World Yourself
I think if I were over there in America, protest music would be more important. But I’m not going.
NINA SIMONE

Important Music Myself Thinking
Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking the new inventive phrases we make up to describe things – all that to me is jazz just as much as the music we play.
NINA SIMONE

Description Invention Music Myself Play Thinking Way

I believe in racial memory too. I’m sure I’ve got ancient African blood in me that has something to do with what I am.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

I believe in racial memory too. I’m sure I’ve got ancient African blood in me that has something to do with what I am.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Nina Simone Quotes