Duke Ellington Quotes

My mother told me I was blessed, and I have always taken her word for it. Being born of – or reincarnated from – royalty is nothing Like being blessed. Royalty is inherited from another human being; blessedness comes from God.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Inheritance Mom Royalty
New York is a place where the rich walk, the poor drive Cadillacs, and beggars die of malnutrition with thousands of dollars hidden in their mattresses.
DUKE ELLINGTON
A goal is a dream with a finish line.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Goal
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Meaning
A Satin Doll is a woman who is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Doll
Everybody in Canada seemed to listen to what they enjoyed, and nobody could tell them what to like, or what was the popular, or what was the In thing. Even today, it is very hard to brainwash a Canadian.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Listening Popular
I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Blue
People do not retire. They are retired by others.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Retirement
There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.
DUKE ELLINGTON
I like any and all of my associations with music: writing, playing, and listening. We write and play from our perspective, and the audience listens from its perspective. If and when we agree, I am lucky.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Association Audience Listening

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