black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

I try to swim every damn day I can, and I’ve learned to scuba dive and snorkel.

Nina Simone

It is difficult to retain your standards with the pressure of trying to make money, which always has its rules. It’s hard to walk the tightrope of doing what you think is your best and making money at it.
NINA SIMONE

Difficult Hard Money Rule Standard Yourself
What kept me sane was knowing that things would change, and it was a question of keeping myself together until they did.
NINA SIMONE

Change Known Question Sanity Togetherness
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
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
Many times I feel different like a different person.
NINA SIMONE

Different Feeling Person Time
I don’t like drug addicts and she sounds like a cat.
NINA SIMONE

Addiction Cat Drugs Myself Sound
I demand perfection in what I do, and I practice very hard before I give a concert-sometimes three to six hours a day.
NINA SIMONE

Day Demand Myself Perfection Practice
Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.
NINA SIMONE

Black Definition Myself People
You can’t be different if you look at it. Being gifted is different. I had that in my piano playing. I’m very thankful for that. I’m very aware of that. The style and what I fed is just me. I never worked at it. It just happened.
NINA SIMONE

Awareness Different Gift Myself Thankful Work
It doesn’t matter to me what is going on today because my music encompasses every kind of mood that exists in human beings. That’s my stick.
NINA SIMONE

Existence Kind Music Myself
What is love but a prelude to sorrow with heartache ahead for your goal.
NINA SIMONE

Goal Love Sorrow Yourself
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
Since I was three I’ve been playing the piano. I’ve been onstage.
NINA SIMONE

Instrument Myself Play
That’s a very high goal to have, study eight hours a day to be a concert pianist.
NINA SIMONE

Goal Musician Study
It’s logical that people from bad times will reflect their feelings in their communication. Music is part of the communication. If you lived it, you can do it.
NINA SIMONE

Bad Communication Live Logic People Reflection Time Yourself
I would like you to know, I am a doctor of music.
NINA SIMONE

Doctor Music Myself Yourself
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
It’s a good time for black people to be alive.
NINA SIMONE

Alive Black People Time
I know I’m different, but I don’t think about it.
NINA SIMONE

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

Mindset Music Myself Theory
I do love to sing Jacques Brel songs, intensely. I get terribly excited, just by reading a couple of lines in any one of his songs.
NINA SIMONE

Couple Excitement Intense Love Myself Reading
Birds flying high you know how I feel Sun in the sky you know how I feel Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel And this old world is a new world And a bold world For me And I’m feeling good I’m feeling good.
NINA SIMONE

Fly Myself Old Sun World
Music is a gift and a burden I’ve had since I can remember who I was.
NINA SIMONE

Burden Gift Music Myself Remember
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
If I get an idea I put it on tape and somebody else writes it out.
NINA SIMONE

Ideas Myself Writing
Every day has its emotional difficulties. I miss my mother whether I’m singing her music or not.
NINA SIMONE

Day Difficult Emotional Music Myself
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

I try to swim every damn day I can, and I’ve learned to scuba dive and snorkel.

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I try to swim every damn day I can, and I’ve learned to scuba dive and snorkel.

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Popular Authors

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