I'm sorry that I did not become the world's first black classic pianist. I think I would have been happier.

Jazz is not just music, it's a way of life, it's a way of being, a way of thinking.

I love the classics but there are many new ideas to be made into reality. I'd rather be concerned with my own thing. There are many masters of classical piano so I'll leave it to them.

Talent is a burden not a joy. I am not of this planet. I do not come from you. I am not like you.

Anything human can be felt through music, which means that there is no limit to the creating that can be done with music. You can take the same phrase from any song and cut it up so many different ways - it's infinite. It's like God... you know?

I have a cultured manner of speaking.

My people have very subtle slang, inflections and ways of saying things that has little to do with words. If you're from the same place, you'll feel the jargon and know exactly what's happening. Same with any neighborhood cat. What he sees and hears and feels and lives makes him what he is. That's what blues is.