Don't look back, because someone might be gaining on you.

You've gotta have somebody to trust, that knows a lot.

God's away, God's away, God's away on business. Business!

This is about all the bad days in the world. I used to have some little bad days, and I kept them in a little box. And one day, I threw them out into the yard. "Oh, it's just a couple little innocent bad days." Well, we had a big rain. I don't know what it was growing in but I think we used to put eggshells out there and coffee grounds, too. Don't plant your bad days. They grow into weeks. The weeks grow into months. Before you know it you got yourself a bad year. Take it from me. Choke those little bad days. Choke 'em down to nothin'. They're your days. Choke 'em!

I knelt at the altar of Ray Charles for years. I worked at a restaurant, and that's all there was on the jukebox.

Never have your wallet with you onstage. It's bad luck. You shouldn't play the piano with money in your pocket. Play like you need the money.

My first big gig was an opening show for Frank Zappa, and I think that was difficult.