Jazz Quotes by Louis Armstrong

When you're dead, you're done.

— Louis Armstrong

Never play anything the same way twice.

— Louis Armstrong

[Bebop is] Chinese music.

— Louis Armstrong

You blows who you is.

— Louis Armstrong

Jazz is what I play for a living.

— Louis Armstrong

I don't need words. It's all in the phrasing.

— Louis Armstrong

My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.

— Louis Armstrong

To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!

— Louis Armstrong

“If you have to ask what jazz is you will never know." Louis Armstrong”

— Louis Armstrong

If ya ain't got it in ya, ya can't blow it out.

— Louis Armstrong

The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.

— Louis Armstrong

You will never know what the meaning of Jazz is if ask what it means.

— Louis Armstrong

If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.

— Louis Armstrong

There are Two Secrets to Success: 1. Don't tell ANYONE Everything you know 2.If you have to ask what Jazz is, you'll…

— Louis Armstrong

There's only two ways to sum up music; either it's good or it's bad. If it's good you don't mess about it,…

— Louis Armstrong

If I don’t practice for a day, I know it. If I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it. And…

— Louis Armstrong

All them weird chords which don't mean a thing...you got no melody to remember, and no beat to dance to

— Louis Armstrong

When I was young and very green, I worte that tune, Sister Kate, and someone said that's fine, let me publish it…

— Louis Armstrong

You see, pops, that's the kind of talk that's ruining the music. Everyone's trying to do something new, no one trying to…

— Louis Armstrong

Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the…

— Louis Armstrong

My life has always been my music, it's always come first, but the music ain't worth nothing if you can't lay it…

— Louis Armstrong

If it hadn't been for Jazz, there wouldn't be no rock and roll.

— Louis Armstrong

“What is Jazz? Dude, if you have to ask, you'll never know.”

— Louis Armstrong

Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.

— Louis Armstrong

I'm a spade, you're an ofay. Let's play.

— Louis Armstrong

We all do 'do, re, mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself.

— Louis Armstrong

The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back…

— Louis Armstrong