Louis Armstrong Quotes

Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine, I look right into the heart of good old New Orleans. It has given me something to live for.

Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them.

Don't do nothing halfway, else you find yourself dropping more than can be picked up.

What we play is life.

I got a simple rule about everybody. If you don't treat me right - shame on you.

If I don’t practice for a day, I know it. If I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it. And if I don’t practice for three days, the public knows it.

Each man has his own music bubbling up inside him.

And I think to myself what a wonderful world. Oh, yeah.

If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.

A lotta cats copy the Mona Lisa, but people still line up to see the original.

All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.

To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!

Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.

There is no such thing as 'on the way out' as long as you are still doing something interesting and good; you're in the business because you're breathing.

You got to love to be able to play

Give me a kiss to build a dream on And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss Sweetheart, I ask no more than this A kiss to build a dream on.

You've got to be good or as bad as the devil.

We all do 'do, re, mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself.

I don't let my mouth say nothin' my head can't stand.

There are Two Secrets to Success: 1. Don't tell ANYONE Everything you know 2.If you have to ask what Jazz is, you'll never know.

All them weird chords which don't mean a thing...you got no melody to remember, and no beat to dance to

The best I can do is stay happy.

Love is talkative passion.

The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago.

Never play anything the same way twice.

It makes you feel good, man, makes you forget all the bad things that happen to a Negro. It makes you feel wanted, and when you're with another tea smoker, it makes you feel a special kinship.

[Bebop is] Chinese music.

I don't need words. It's all in the phrasing.

When you're dead, you're done.

You either have it or you don't. You play your horn just like you sing a song or a hymn. If it's in your heart, you express yourself in the tune.

If it hadn't been for Jazz, there wouldn't be no rock and roll.

It's America's classical music ... this becomes our tradition ... the bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? ... we contributed Louis Armstrong

Never play a thing the same way twice.

There's only two ways to sum up music; either it's good or it's bad. If it's good you don't mess about it, you just enjoy it.

If you still have to ask, shame on you

Red beans and ricely yours.

I'm a spade, you're an ofay. Let's play.

Not too slow, not too fast. Kind of like half-fast.

You will never know what the meaning of Jazz is if ask what it means.

Music is either good or bad, and it's got to be learned. You got to have balance.

It ain't whatcha say, it's the way howcha say it.

Jazz is what I play for a living.

The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell!

I had a chance to play with the best musicians that were coming through because I was pretty good myself or else they wouldn't have tolerated with me.

We don't play slow and we don't play fast, we play half fast

It's getting almost so bad a colored man hasn't got any country.

Unless you know what it is I ain't never going to be able to explain it to you.

White folks still in the lead.

There's a thing I've dreamed of all my life, and I'll be damned if it don't look like it's about to come true-to be King of the Zulu's parade. After that, I'll be ready to die.

When you're with another tea smoker it makes you feel a special kinship.