Nina Simone

How do you explain what it feels like to get on the stage and make poetry that you know sinks into the hearts and souls of people who are unable to express it

Jazz is not just music, it's a way of life, it's a way of being, a way of thinking. . . . the new inventive phrases we make up to describe things - all that to me is jazz just as much as the music we play.

From the beginning, it has been a no-no for a black man to touch a white woman.

I would like you to know, I am a doctor of music.

I feel what they feel. And people who listen to me know that, and it makes them feel like they're not alone.

I demand perfection in what I do, and I practice very hard before I give a concert-sometimes three to six hours a day.

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

Music is a gift and a burden I've had since I can remember who I was.

Life is short. People are not easy to know. They're not easy to know, so if you don't tell them how you feel, you're not going to get anywhere, I feel.