--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I would really like to have been…" description: "\"What I would really like to have been, given a perfect world, is a jazz pianist. I mean jazz. I don't mean rock and roll. I mean the never-the-same-twi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/kurt-vonnegut-41_a-perfect-world_what-i-would-really-like-to-have-been-gi_2178451.jpg" --- # What I would really like to have been, given a perfect… ![“What I would really like to have been, given a perfect world, is a jazz pianist. I mean jazz. I don't mean rock and roll. I mean the never-the-same-twice music the American black people gave the world.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/kurt-vonnegut-41_a-perfect-world_what-i-would-really-like-to-have-been-gi_2178451.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/kurt-vonnegut-41_a-perfect-world_what-i-would-really-like-to-have-been-gi_2178451.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/kurt-vonnegut-41_a-perfect-world_what-i-would-really-like-to-have-been-gi_2178451.jpg) > “What I would really like to have been, given a perfect world, is a jazz pianist. I mean jazz. I don't mean rock and roll. I mean the never-the-same-twice music the American black people gave the world.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator longs to be a jazz pianist, valuing improvisational, ever‑changing music over static genres, reflecting a desire for creative freedom. **In simple terms:** Wants to be a jazz pianist. Key Takeaway Pursue improvisational art. Themes creativity music freedom identity Mood aspirational reflective musical Type inspirational artistic When to use this quote - learning an instrument - musical performance - creative career planning Key Concepts Improvisation cultural heritage artistic aspiration Questions to Reflect On - What creative freedom do you seek? - How can you sustain it? A Different Perspective Jazz may be financially unstable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perfect world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-world/) [Pianist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianist/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Rock and roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-and-roll/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [When I hear the words jazz pianist, that just means I have the skills to do most things. Because to be a jazz pianist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/when-i-hear-the-words-jazz-pianist-that-just-means-i-have-the-skills/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [I took some lessons as a kid but trained myself by ear. I did it the way jazz musicians used to learn years ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-fagen/i-took-some-lessons-as-a-kid-but-trained-myself-by-ear-i-did-it-the/) [Donald Fagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-fagen/) > [Bill Evans is a real serious jazz pianist who, in my book, crossed over boundaries in terms of color. He used the piano as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-flack/bill-evans-is-a-real-serious-jazz-pianist-who-in-my-book-crossed-over/) [Roberta Flack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberta-flack/) > [I don't regard myself as a great classical or jazz pianist. I like country music, but I'm not a great player. I just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-emerson/i-don-t-regard-myself-as-a-great-classical-or-jazz-pianist-i-like/) [Keith Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-emerson/) > [I ... started out to become a jazz pianist; in the meantime I started singing and I sang the way I felt and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-king-cole/i-started-out-to-become-a-jazz-pianist-in-the-meantime-i-started/) [Nat King Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-king-cole/) > [The first jazz pianist I heard was Thelonious Monk. My father was listening to an album of his called 'Monk's Dream' almost every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-green/the-first-jazz-pianist-i-heard-was-thelonious-monk-my-father-was/) [Benny Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-green/) > [Do you think Duke Ellington didn't listen to Debussy? Louis Armstrong loved opera, did you know that? 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My father is a jazz pianist, and from an early age I have been surrounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-wolff/jazz-is-a-constant-theme-in-my-life-my-father-is-a-jazz-pianist-and/) [Nat Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-wolff/) > [In Montreal, there is a friend of mine at school who is a jazz pianist with an amazing voice, and we sort of have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-epstein/in-montreal-there-is-a-friend-of-mine-at-school-who-is-a-jazz-pianist/) [Jake Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-epstein/) > [I'm a classically trained jazz pianist - I've been playing since I was 3 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daya/i-m-a-classically-trained-jazz-pianist-i-ve-been-playing-since-i-was/) [Daya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daya/) > [Frankie Randall is a consummate performer. He is an exquisite jazz pianist and wonderful singer. I had the great pleasure to work with him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lainie-kazan/frankie-randall-is-a-consummate-performer-he-is-an-exquisite-jazz/) [Lainie Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lainie-kazan/) > [Bernstein grew up in my building in New York. He's a very, very fine player. When he was a kid, he came by to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/bernstein-grew-up-in-my-building-in-new-york-he-s-a-very-very-fine/) [Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/) > [Yes, there's a relaying of internal states that only a novel can achieve. In my view, the novel is one of Europe's greatest gifts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/yes-there-s-a-relaying-of-internal-states-that-only-a-novel-can/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [The only art form that Americans have created that's recognized around the world is jazz music born in a community that had the peculiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/the-only-art-form-that-americans-have-created-that-s-recognized/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal. I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/even-in-a-perfect-world-where-everyone-was-equal-i-d-still-own-the/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More A perfect world quotes > [Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal. 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I have kids and a beautiful wife and live on some hill somewhere that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/in-a-perfect-world-my-tennis-game-gets-better-i-have-kids-and-a/) [Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/) > [Anything and everything at any given time is sort of the point I think. We're dealing in real situations and that's why we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-dushku/anything-and-everything-at-any-given-time-is-sort-of-the-point-i/) [Eliza Dushku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-dushku/) > [I'm friends with everybody, I love everybody. I trust everybody because they don't give me reasons not to you know what I'm saying? 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