Wynton Marsalis Quotes

"I believed in studying just because I knew education was a privilege. It was the discipline of study, to get into the habit of doing something that you don't want to do."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Education, Discipline, Habit, Privilege, Study, Want)

"I believe in professionalism, but playing is not like a job. You have to be grateful to have the opportunity to play."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Opportunity, Job, Play)

"I always read all these books about the slaves. My mother is very educated. My father would talk to us like we were grown men. We never knew what he was talking about half the time."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Time, Men, Mother, Father, Books, Talk, Talking)

"Even in these times, there are still neighbors that will turn their backs on neighbors."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Neighbors, Will)

"Don't worry about what others say about your music. Pursue whatever you are hearing... but if everybody really hates your music maybe you could try some different approaches."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Music, Hearing, Worry)

"Don't wish for someone else to do later what you can do now."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Now)

"Don't settle for style. Succeed in substance."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Style, Succeed)

"I feel like a lot of the fundamental material, I've assimilated. So now the question is: Am I going to really get into my spiritual inheritance of music and really develop my abilities?"
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Music, Inheritance, Now, Question, Spiritual)

"This rebuilding of New Orleans gives us the perfect opportunity to see if we're ready to extend the legacy of Dr. King."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Opportunity)

"There really have only ever been a few people in each generation who step out, are willing to put themselves on the line, and risk everything for their beliefs."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: People, Beliefs, Risk)

"I didn't want to get that ring around my lips from practicing the trumpet, because I thought the girls wouldn't like me. So I never practiced."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Thought, Girls, Want)

"I dress up a certain way because I respect the music."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Music, Dress, Respect)

"Through first-class education, a generation marches down the long uncertain road of the future with confidence."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Education, Confidence, First, Future, Road)

"I got my first trumpet when I was six years old, from Al Hirt. My father was playing in Al Hirt's band at that time."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Time, Father, First, Old, Years)

"I have absolutely no idea what my generation did to enrich our democracy. We dropped the ball. We entered a period of complacency and closed our eyes to the public corruption of our democracy."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Idea, Corruption, Democracy, Eyes, Public)

"I sounded like myself. People be saying I sound like Miles or Clifford Brown."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: People, Saying, Sound)

"When did we begin to lose faith in our ability to effect change?"
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Change, Faith, Ability, Effect)

"When I auditioned for my high school band the band director was excited because my father was known to be a great musician. When he heard me, he said 'Are you sure you're Ellis's son?'"
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Father, Son, School)

"When I first came to New York everybody on the scene would treat me like I could play, but I couldn't."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: First, Play)

"Whenever you face a man who's playing your instrument, there's a competition."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Competition, Man)

"You need a team. You need people to push you. You need opponents."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: People, Opponents)

"There are forces all around you who wish to exploit division, rob you of your freedom, and tell you what to think. But young folks can rekindle the weary spirit of a slumbering nation."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Freedom, Nation, Spirit)

"The young very seldom lead anything in our country today. It's been quite some time since a younger generation pushed an older one to a higher standard."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Time, Country, Today)

"Only a few act - the rest of us reap the benefits of their risk."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Act, Benefits, Rest, Risk)

"I wanted to make somebody feel like Coltrane made me feel, listening to it."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Listening)

"It was Dr. King's tireless activism that fostered our modern way of relating to one another."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Activism)

"It's important to address young people in the reopening of New Orleans. In rebuilding, let's revisit the potential of American democracy and American glory."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: People, American, Democracy, Glory, Potential)

"Jazz is not the kind of music you are going to learn to play in three or four years or that you can just get because you have some talent for music."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Music, Talent, Jazz, Play, Years)

"Many a revolution started with the actions of a few. Only 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. A few hanging together can lead a nation to change."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Change, Men, Actions, Independence, Revolution, Nation)

"Maybe the preoccupation with technological progress has overshadowed our concern with human progress."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Progress, Concern)

"My daddy expected that my brothers and I and our generation would make the world a better place. He had lived in an America of continual social progress."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Progress, America, Brothers, World)

"There's the tradition in jazz of having the Battle of the Bands, and you do not want to get your head cut when you're playing."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Battle, Jazz, Tradition, Want)

"My older brother and myself always played together in bands, but we never knew we would be professional musicians."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Brother, Musicians)

"Trumpet players see each other, and it's like we're getting ready to square off or get into a fight or something."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Fight)

"People have taken time out of their day and spent their money to come sit down at a concert. And it's jazz music-it's not easy for them to get to it. I don't want them ever to feel that I'm taking their presence lightly."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Money, Time, People, Music, Day, Jazz, Want)

"What, other than injustice, could be the reason that the displaced citizens of New Orleans cannot be accommodated by the richest nation in the world?"
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Injustice, Nation, Reason, World)

"We always hear about the rights of democracy, but the major responsibility of it is participation."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Democracy, Rights, Participation, Responsibility)

"What I really have in my head, my imagination, my understanding of music, I never really get that out."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Imagination, Music, Understanding)

"Thank the good Lord for a job."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Job)

"The rebuilding of New Orleans is an important point in the history of the United States."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: History, states, United)

"The nerves are a problem on trumpet, because when you mess up everyone can hear it. Just remember most people are too polite to say anything about it. That should calm your nerves."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: People, Nerves)

"The musicians I respected were much older than me. I expected them to cut my head, and they did."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Musicians)

"The first time I ever played the trumpet in public, I played the Marine Hymn. I sounded terrible."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Time, First, Public)

"The best way to be, is to do."
- Wynton Marsalis

"The bandstand is a sacred place."
- Wynton Marsalis

"We looked up to our father. He still is much greater than us."
- Wynton Marsalis
(Related: Father)