Jazz is the language of the emotions.

I always thought that no matter what kind of work people did, they should involve themselves totally with all the discrimination they ran into.

It (jazz) isn't like it used to be. The guys aren't together. They're all separated. Individuals now. Bird was a symbol. It was a clique, a clique of people. Who all believed in one thing: gettin' high. And playin'.

Making the complicated simple is true creativity.

I never heard my music played the way I heard it in my head.

Everything I do is Mingus.

In high school I was on the basketball team, but the coach did something I didn't dig and the next day he looked up and saw me practising with the football team.