Benny Goodman Quotes

One way or the other, if you want to find reasons why you shouldn’t keep on, you’ll find ‘em. The obstacles are all there; there are a million of ‘em.

If a guy's got it, let him give it. I'm selling music, not prejudice.

To this day, I don't like people walking on stage not looking good. You have to look good. If you feel special about yourself then you're going to play special.

If you want to do something, you do it anyway, and handle the obstacles as they come.

Creativity grows out of two things: curiosity & imagination.

It takes the black keys and the white keys both, to make perfect harmony.

People have often said to me, 'You're so relaxed when you play.' Relaxed my elbow. It's practice.

Too many young musicians today want to win polls before they learn their instruments.

Sometimes when you start losing detail, whether it's in music or in life, something as small as failing to be polite, you start to lose substance.

After you’ve done all the work and prepared as much as you can, what the hell, you might as well go out and have a good time.

As soon as it was understood that we could handle things in our own way, it was the thrill of my life to walk out on that stage with people just hemming the band in.

If I have something I want to do, I make a business of doing it.

You have to look good.