I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

—Duke Ellington

About Duke Ellington

Portrait of Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Music critic Ralph J. Gleason called him "America's most important composer".

More quotations from Duke Ellington

A problem is a chance for you to do your best.

—Duke Ellington

Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.

—Duke Ellington

love time liking unconditional

Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it.

—Duke Ellington

danger art attraction

Gray skies are just clouds passing over.

—Duke Ellington

More quotations tagged with “art”

If you were in a burning house and there was a cat and a Rembrandt, what would you save? The cat… you would save the cat, because the cat is alive. The art is dead. It's just paint on a canvas, ink on a page. To live for art is to deny life. It's just to destroy life.

—Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

The idea of a mass audience was really an invention of the Industrial Revolution.

—David Cronenberg

Art forms of the past were really considered elitist. Bach did not compose for the masses, neither did Beethoven. It was always for patrons, aristocrats, and royalty. Now we have a sort of democratic version of that, which is to say that the audience is so splintered in its interests.

—David Cronenberg

Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature.

I can't criticize what I don't understand. If you want to call this art, you've got the benefit of all my doubts.

—Charles Rosin

History

11 Jul 2015 Added