We have to make ourselves as perfect as we can.

Music represents nature. Nature represents life. Jazz represents nature. Jazz is life.

I think as long as people are around and can hear a record and hear people like Lester Young on a recording, there will always be a great inspiration for somebody to try to create jazz.

Jazz is the type of music that can absorb so many things and still be jazz.

No one is original. Everyone is derivative.

I think music should be judged on what it is. It should be very high and above everything else. It is a beautiful way of bringing people together, a little bit of an oasis in this messed-up world.

Jazz never ends... it just continues.

I feel that Jazz improvisation is the ultimate. You have to create on the spot, the essence of this music.

I miss playing with Miles. I did play with him a little while before he left the planet, but even at that time I longed to maybe do some things together.

It's all about creation and surprise. It just needs to be appreciated and watered like flowers. You have to water flowers. These peaks will come again.

I simply want to reach a level where I will never cease to make progress...so that, even on the bad evenings, I may never be bad enough to despair.

If you're going to lead people, you've got to have somewhere to go.

The shadow escapes from the body like an animal we had been sheltering.

Americans are hidden dragons to me.

I think we are living in a world that is too perfect and things are too retouched. I want to scream at the top of my lungs 'our imperfections are what make us special'

It's not ideal to have three films coming out at once.

Compassion is not sympathy. Compassion is mercy. It is a commitment to take responsibility for the suffering of others.

There exists no more democratic institution than the market

Faith is a twenty-four hour a day commitment.

I'm just happy to be working consistently.

Once you get used to being treated like you matter, it's hard to uproot and move somewhere where you don't.