Music Quotes by Thelonious Monk

I find my inspiration in myself.

— Thelonious Monk

Jazz is freedom. You think about that.

— Thelonious Monk

After two takes you're imitating yourself.

— Thelonious Monk

Trying to explain music is like trying to dance architecture.

— Thelonious Monk

All musicians are potential band leaders.

— Thelonious Monk

Man, that cat [Ornette Coleman] is nuts.

— Thelonious Monk

All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.

— Thelonious Monk

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

— Thelonious Monk

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

— Thelonious Monk

The majority of juice-heads and winos and junkies arent musicians.

— 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

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

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

— Thelonious Monk

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

— Thelonious Monk

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

— Thelonious Monk

I don't consider myself a musician who has achieved perfection and can't develop any further. But I compose my pieces with a…

— Thelonious Monk