As long as I've been playing, they never say I done anything. They always say that some white guy did it.
If you have to ask, you'll never know.
Always look ahead, but never look back.
I think every Negro over fifty should get a medal for putting up with all that crap.
I can't write anything for myself. I can write when I hear like [John] Coltrane play something; I used to write chords and stuff for him to play in one bar. I can write for other people, but I don't never write for myself.
All my inspiration comes from Ahmad Jamal.