Jazz Quotes by Thelonious Monk

I made the wrong mistakes

— Thelonious Monk

Jazz is freedom. You think about that.

— Thelonious Monk

I find my inspiration in myself.

— Thelonious Monk

Miles'd got killed if he hit me.

— Thelonious Monk

Jazz is my adventure.

— Thelonious Monk

Man, that cat [Ornette Coleman] is nuts.

— Thelonious Monk

Just because you're not a drummer doesn't mean you don't have to keep time.

— Thelonious Monk

I compose my pieces with a formula that I created myself.

— Thelonious Monk

After two takes you're imitating yourself.

— Thelonious Monk

I didn't know there were 2 ten o'clocks in a day...

— Thelonious Monk

Everybody in all countries tries to play jazz.

— Thelonious Monk

Sometimes it's to your advantage for people to think you're crazy

— Thelonious Monk

A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the world, it depends on your imagination.

— Thelonious Monk

Jazz is my adventure. I'm after new chords, new ways of syncopating, new figures, new runs. How to use notes differently. That's…

— Thelonious Monk

“Where’s jazz going? I don’t know. Maybe it’s going to hell. You can’t make anything go anywhere. It just happens.”

— Thelonious Monk

If you really understand the meaning of be-bop, you understand the meaning of freedom.

— Thelonious Monk

I don't have a definition of Jazz. You're just supposed to know it when you hear it.

— Thelonious Monk

I don't know where jazz is going. Maybe it's going to hell. You can't make anything go anywhere. It just happens.

— Thelonious Monk

When I was a kid, some of the guys would try to get me to hate white people for what they've been…

— Thelonious Monk

I say, play your own way. Don't play what the public want - you play what you want and let the public…

— Thelonious Monk

At this time the fashion is to bring something to jazz that I reject. They speak of freedom. But one has no…

— Thelonious Monk

Those who want to know what sound goes into my music should come to NY and open their ears.

— Thelonious Monk