The quality of life, values that go down to doin' that, that's the issue.

- Cecil Taylor

I understand about the relative strengths of people, and I don't think people have to be anything. They can be nothin' if they want to be.

- Cecil Taylor

If you take the creation of music and the creation of your own life values as your overall goal, then living becomes a musical process.

- Cecil Taylor

Sometimes when it goes really well, you wonder, "who's that at the piano?"

- Cecil Taylor

In short, [Coltrane's] tone is beautiful because it is functional. In other words, it is always involved in saying something. You can't separate the …

- Cecil Taylor

Doesn't that fool know I recorded that song because I like it?

- Cecil Taylor

Rhythm is the life of space of time danced through.

- Cecil Taylor

Improvisation is the ability to talk to oneself.

- Cecil Taylor

You must surrender whatever preconceptions you have about music if you're really interested in it.

- Cecil Taylor