Quotes from Charles Mingus

Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

I never heard my music played the way I heard it in my head.

My music is evidence of my souls will to live.

They're singing your praises while stealing your phrases.

Thelonius Monk went over to Bird and Bud Powell and said, 'I told you guys to act crazy, but I didn't tell you to fall in love with the act. You're really crazy now.'

If someone has been escaping reality, I don't expect him to dig my music.

I always wanted to be a spontaneous composer.

I am Charles Mingus, half black man, not even white enough to pass for nothing but black. I am Charles Mingus, a famed jazzman, but not famed enough to make a living in this society.

Life has many changes. Tomorrow it may rain, and it's supposed to be sunshine, 'cause it's summertime. But God's got a funny soul, he plays like Charlie Parker.

I'm going to keep on finding out the kind of man I am through my music. That's the one place I can be free. But the reason it's difficult is because I'm changing all the time.

In high school I was on the basketball team, but the coach did something I didn't dig and the next day he looked up and saw me practising with the football team.

I'm trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it's difficult is because I'm changing all the time.

In my music, I'm trying to play the truth of what I am.

I am Charles Mingus. Half-black man. Yellow man. Half-yellow. Not even yellow, nor white enough to pass for nothing but black and not too light enough to be called white.

Whatever coast he's on, a man should be himself. I don't write in any particular idiom, I write Charles Mingus.

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creative.

Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can play weird-- that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple complicated is commonplace--making the complicated simple, awesomely simple--that's creativity.

Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.

Anybody can make the simple complecated. Creativity is making the complecated simple.

Yeah, I pledge allegiance, to the United States of America... I pledge an allegiance to see that someday they will live up to their promises, to the victims that they call citizens...

I think I have an extremely aggravated case of paranoia

I'm trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it's difficult is because I'm changing all the time.