I never hurt nobody but myself and that's nobody's business but my own.

Singing songs like 'The Man I Love' or 'Porgy' is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck.

Dope never helped anybody sing better or play music better or do anything better. All dope can do for you is kill you - and kill you the long, slow, hard way.

A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted.

I'm always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I've been.

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.

You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling.