Music is nothing separate from me. It is me... You'd have to remove the music surgically.

I was born with music inside me. That's the only explanation I know of

[On his heroin addiction:] I did it to myself. It wasn't society...it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.

I really feel that if you're gonna be good, you gotta practice... Practice whatever the hell you do.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and tears are only rain to make love grow.

If you can play the blues, you can do anything.

I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.