--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: John Coltrane was an addict; Billie…" description: "\"John Coltrane was an addict; Billie Holiday was an addict; Eugene O'Neill was an addict. What would America be without addicts and post-addicts who mak..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/cornel-west-708_addict_john-coltrane-was-an-addict-billie-holid_2342908.jpg" --- # John Coltrane was an addict; Billie Holiday was an addict… ![“John Coltrane was an addict; Billie Holiday was an addict; Eugene O'Neill was an addict. What would America be without addicts and post-addicts who make such grand contributions to our society?” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/cornel-west-708_addict_john-coltrane-was-an-addict-billie-holid_2342908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/cornel-west-708_addict_john-coltrane-was-an-addict-billie-holid_2342908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/cornel-west-708_addict_john-coltrane-was-an-addict-billie-holid_2342908.jpg) > “John Coltrane was an addict; Billie Holiday was an addict; Eugene O'Neill was an addict. What would America be without addicts and post-addicts who make such grand contributions to our society?” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Addiction has produced influential artists; society depends on their complex contributions despite hardships. **In simple terms:** Addicts have shaped culture. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of marginalized creators. Themes culture addiction artistic contribution Mood thought‑provoking critical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - music industry - theatre - literature - social policy Key Concepts social marginalization creative genius Questions to Reflect On - How can we support artists without glorifying addiction? - What structures help talent thrive healthily? A Different Perspective Romanticizing addiction can ignore its harms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) [Addict America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict-america-5675843/) [Addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicts/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-addicts-5675841/) [Billie holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billie-holiday/) [Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coltrane/) [Coltrane Addict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coltrane-addict-5675842/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Eugene o neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eugene-o-neill-57827/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [John Coltrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-coltrane/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Post Addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/post-addicts-5675840/) [Posts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posts/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I think the important thing to understand first and foremost about Michael Jackson is that he was the international emblem of the African American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-think-the-important-thing-to-understand-first-and-foremost-about/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I take my fundamental cue from John Coltrane that says there must be a priority of integrity, honesty, decency, and mastery of craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-take-my-fundamental-cue-from-john-coltrane-that-says-there-must-be/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [If I had my choice in life I would have had the gifts of Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill. Unfortunately my gifts lie in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/if-i-had-my-choice-in-life-i-would-have-had-the-gifts-of-tennessee/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“Then in the spring something happened to me. Yes, I remember. I fell in love with James Tyrone and was so happy for time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/then-in-the-spring-something-happened-to-me-yes-i-remember-i-fell-in/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“LAVINIA: I love everything that grows simply-- up toward the sun-- everything that's straight and strong! I hate what's warped and twists and eats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/lavinia-i-love-everything-that-grows-simply-up-toward-the-sun/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [Most playwrights go wrong on the fifth word. When you start a play and you type 'Act one, scene one,' your writing is every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-willson/most-playwrights-go-wrong-on-the-fifth-word-when-you-start-a-play-and/) [Meredith Willson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-willson/) > [ \[Eugene\] O'Neill made a living, certainly, at least. But each of these forms have sort of died the death in turn, and it's a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/eugene-o-neill-made-a-living-certainly-at-least-but-each-of-these/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [If man had written the Gospels - say Shakespeare or Eugene O'Neill - the story of the gospel would have been drastically different. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/if-man-had-written-the-gospels-say-shakespeare-or-eugene-o-neill-the/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“LAVINIA: He made me feel for the first time in my life that everything about love could be sweet and natural... I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/lavinia-he-made-me-feel-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-that-everything/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“LAVINIA: I want to feel love! Love is all beautiful! I never used to know that! I was a fool! We'll be married soon...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/lavinia-i-want-to-feel-love-love-is-all-beautiful-i-never-used-to/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [I'm influenced by Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelly, Roland Kirk, John Coltrane, B.B. King, and then by bluegrass. But when I was 16, bluegrass wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dickey-betts/i-m-influenced-by-django-reinhardt-stephane-grappelly-roland-kirk/) [Dickey Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dickey-betts/) > [My dad would play me all of these records: Miles Davis records, John Coltrane records, Bill Evans records, a lot of jazz records. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldar-djangirov/my-dad-would-play-me-all-of-these-records-miles-davis-records-john/) [Eldar Djangirov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eldar-djangirov/) > [“Now listen for your song. Everybody’s got a song. When I used to chase the Trane— John Coltrane that is— he used to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mutti-clark/now-listen-for-your-song-everybody-s-got-a-song-when-i-used-to-chase/) [David Mutti Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mutti-clark/) > [I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-listened-to-king-oliver-and-i-listened-to-louis-armstrong-jelly/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [ John \[Coltrane\] was like a visitor to this planet. He came in peace and he left in peace; but during his time here, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ayler/john-coltrane-was-like-a-visitor-to-this-planet-he-came-in-peace-and/) [Albert Ayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ayler/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Taxpayers would likely be responsible for treating addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/taxpayers-would-likely-be-responsible-for-treating-addicts/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They said a drug addict needs rehabilitation, they never said what a broken heart needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satyajit-chhotaray/they-said-a-drug-addict-needs-rehabilitation-they-never-said-what-a/) [Satyajit Chhotaray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satyajit-chhotaray/) > [I was ashamed. My son is a drug addict. What does this mean about me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/i-was-ashamed-my-son-is-a-drug-addict-what-does-this-mean-about-me/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Then they're like addicts; they can't help themselves... They will steal, cheat, embezzle and commit other crimes just to get money to gamble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/then-they-re-like-addicts-they-can-t-help-themselves-they-will-steal/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [So many kids are fat drug addicts these days, it's almost as if Rush Limbaugh had puppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/so-many-kids-are-fat-drug-addicts-these-days-it-s-almost-as-if-rush/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [“I don’t fundamentally understand why people give a shit about what other people put up their noses or what other people put in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/i-don-t-fundamentally-understand-why-people-give-a-shit-about-what/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/) [Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/) > [… an outlaw gulch, a haven for draft resisters, struggling artists, and drug addicts…a camp for semi-demented adults… Venice is like the legendary Phoenix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-davidson/an-outlaw-gulch-a-haven-for-draft-resisters-struggling-artists-and/) [Sara Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-davidson/) > [I had to come to terms about becoming an addict, which, for a long time, I lied to myself about the status of until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-had-to-come-to-terms-about-becoming-an-addict-which-for-a-long-time/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [“Addiction is a decision. An individual wants something, whatever that something is, and makes a desicion to get it. Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) [Browse all 634 Addict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addict/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "John Coltrane was an addict; Billie Holiday was an addict; Eugene O'Neill was an addict. 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