When I was 14, I would sit up in my room and write till my eyes would bleed.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the dedication and passion required to pursue one's dreams and goals relentlessly.
Quincy Jones expresses the intensity of his commitment to music and writing during his formative years. The imagery of writing 'till my eyes would bleed' evokes the deep dedication and sacrifice he was willing to endure in pursuit of his craft, illustrating that true passion often comes with hard work and perseverance.
In practice
In a motivational speech to aspiring artists, one could say, 'Remember Quincy Jones who wrote until his eyes would bleedβlet that be your inspiration.'
Just blow in it and sound bad for about a year and then make it sound a little bit better, and you get a little band together, and then you get a few jobs. You take four guys that sound half bad, but if they're 25 percent each, they can give 100 percent, you know?
Music in movies is all about dissonance and consonance, tension and release.
When you produce an album, you're dealing with it theatrically. It has to have a structure, and the inner response to that is that the ear loves it.
You can study orchestration, you can study harmony and theory and everything else, but melodies come straight from God.
I got a scholarship to Seattle University and I was writing arrangements for singers and everybody. But the music course was too dry and I really wanted to get away from home.
I tell my kids and I tell proteges, always have humility when you create and grace when you succeed, because it's not about you. You are a terminal for a higher power. As soon as you accept that, you can do it forever.
Work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction. Otherwise, it's just a job, and life is too short for that.
The man of decision cannot be stopped! The man of indecision cannot be started! Take your own choice.
If you only write when inspired, you may be a fairly decent poet, but you'll never be a novelist.
What doesn't kill us sharpens us. Hardens us. Schools us. You're beating plowshares into swords, Vosch. You are remaking us. We are the clay, and you are Michelangelo. And we will be your masterpiece.
I don't even know what I was running forβI guess I just felt like it.
Always strive to make the next hour better than this one.
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