I don’t think I ever sing the same way twice. The blues is sort of a mixed-up thing. You just have to feel it. Anything I do sing is part of my life. BILLIE HOLIDAY FeelingLifeMyselfSingThinkingWay
Don’t threaten me with love, baby. Let’s just go walking in the rain. BILLIE HOLIDAY LoveRainThreatWalk
In this country, don’t forget, a habit is no damn private hell. There’s no solitary confinement outside of jail. A habit is hell for those you love. And in this country it’s the worst kind of hell for those who love you. BILLIE HOLIDAY CountryForgetHellLovePrivacyYourself
The difficult I’ll do right now. The impossible will take a little while. BILLIE HOLIDAY DifficultImpossibleInspirationalMyselfRight
New Orleans is the only city in the world you go in to buy a pair of nylon stockings they want to know your head size. BILLIE HOLIDAY ClothesWeirdWorldYourself
You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body’s sermon on how to behave. BILLIE HOLIDAY BodyEatLifeLoveYourself
There’s no damn business like show business – you have to smile to keep from throwing up. BILLIE HOLIDAY BusinessSmileThrowYourself
I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That’s all I know. BILLIE HOLIDAY ChangeHateMusicMyselfSing
The only reason they’re out there is to see me fall into the damn orchestra pit. BILLIE HOLIDAY FallMyselfReasonSee
When Lester plays, he almost seems to be singing; one can almost hear the words. BILLIE HOLIDAY HearHimselfPlaySingingWord
The whole basis of my singing is feeling. Unless I feel something, I can’t sing. BILLIE HOLIDAY BasisFeelingMyselfSinging
I don’t think I’m singing. I feel like I’m playing a horn, What comes out is what I feel. BILLIE HOLIDAY FeelingHornMyselfSingThinking
You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling. BILLIE HOLIDAY EndFeelingRealityWorkYourself
I never had a chance to play with dolls like other kids. I started working when I was six years old. BILLIE HOLIDAY ChanceMyselfPlayWork
I never hurt nobody but myself and that’s nobody’s business but my own. BILLIE HOLIDAY BusinessHurtMyself
I can’t stand to sing the same song the same way two nights in succession, let alone two years or ten years. BILLIE HOLIDAY MyselfNightSingSongStand
Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know what’s more than enough. BILLIE HOLIDAY EnoughKnownLimitation
