Herbie Hancock Quotes

When I was young I used to listen to everything.

The value of music is to be able to play one note at the right time in the right way.

In the world of Art there are no wrong choices.

Music is the tool to express life - and all that makes a difference.

I've been practising Buddhism for forty years, and that's what has led me to this path of discovering my own humanity and recognizing the humanity in others.

Inspiration is constantly in the air. It's up to us to develop the sensitivity to pick up on it.

Like no matter what happens, this would be the ultimate, they can make something positive happen.

I've had a life that has taken many interesting paths. I've learned a lot from mentors who were instrumental in shaping me, and I want to share what I've learned.

Music isn't about music, it's about life.

There are a lot of records coming out, in every field of music, not just jazz.

One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the African American experience, speaks more about the human experience than the experience of a particular people.

I'm very conscious of the idea of trying to each time present something that I haven't presented before. It's a challenge to me to find something new, to find something innovative, but it's also very exciting.

People are afraid to spend money now because they dont know how long theyre going to be working.

If you're not judging what happens, then you're trusting what others are doing, what you're playing, and trusting what you're playing.And it can lead you to other ideas, to something maybe you hadn't expressed before.

I'm always interested in looking forward toward the future. Carving out new ways of looking at things.

You can change your character and, at the same time, change your fortune.

Music is not the only reason that I practice Buddhism anymore because it has affected my whole life.

I'm always looking to create new avenues or new visions of music.

I never dreamed I would be a Goodwill Ambassador, and for UNESCO. Perfect organization. It is apolitical and it's about education, science and culture. I mean that is what I live. That is what UNESCO is really about; it's all about bringing human beings together with one common goal, which is to move human kind forward.

I think risk-taking is a great adventure. And life should be full of adventures.

A great teacher is one who realizes that he himself is also a student and whose goal is not dictate the answers, but to stimulate his students' creativity enough so that they go out and find the answers themselves.

Of course, it's not the technique that makes the music; it's the sensitivity of the musician and his ability to be able to fuse his life with the rhythm of the times. This is the essence of music.

Jazz is about being in the moment.

In the past, there's always been one leader that has led the pack to development of the music.

Back in the day for me was a great time in my life - I was in my 20s. Most people refer to their experiences in their twenties as being a highlight in their life. It's a period of time where you often develop your own way, your own sound, your own identity, and that happened with me, when I was with a great teacher - Miles Davis.

I don't go around, the way many musicians do, with earbuds in my ear listening to my iPod all day and just sticking my head in the music all the time.

Without wisdom, the future has no meaning, no valuable purpose.

The music becomes something that is its own entity.

We need to put into practice the idea of embracing other cultures. We need to be shaping the kind of world we want to live in instead of waiting for someone else or some other entities to do it for us.

My first Grammy wasn't even in a jazz category, but of course I was really excited. 'Rockit' was the beginning of kind of a new era for the whole hip-hop movement.

I like the idea of an eclectic approach, incorporating jazz with other forms and other genres of music.

Clare Fischer was a major influence on my harmonic concept. He and Bill Evans, and Ravel and Gil Evans, finally. You know, that's where it really came from. Almost all of the harmony that I play can be traced to one of those four people and whoever their influences were.

The Internet opens up a whole new range of possibilities in a wide range of areas.

The cool thing is that jazz is really a wonderful example of the great characteristics of Buddhism and great characteristics of the human spirit. Because in jazz we share, we listen to each other, we respect each other, we are creating in the moment. At our best, we're non-judgmental.

Wisdom is the key to understanding the age, creating the time.

You make different colors by combining those colors that already exist.

We can all be ourselves, be true to ourselves, and all be together.