I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.

Everybody wants to know about my style and how it came about. It's no big secret. It's the way I feel.

I guess what everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved. And to know that you loved me for my singing is too much for me. Forgive me if I don't have all the words. Maybe I can sing it and you'll understand.

[On bebop years] All I did was sing 'How High the Moon.' It seemed like the only song I ever sang.

I used to be very self-conscious. I used to wish I was pretty. My cousin Georgia always taught me that if you smile, people will like you. Sometimes people will say something you don't like, and you get angry a bit, but you just smile. You let it go by, even if you really would like to choke 'em. By smiling, I think I've made more friends than if I was the other way.

What everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved.

Some kids in Italy call me 'Mama Jazz; I thought that was so cute. As long as they don't call me 'Grandma Jazz.'