---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even the most jingoistic person would…"
description: "\"Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg"
---

#  Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that…

![“Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European music.” quote by Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg)

> “Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European music.”

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker notes that American music, even its most nationalistic forms, ultimately derives from European classical traditions.

**In simple terms:** American music has European roots.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge musical lineage.

Themes

cultural exchange national identity music history

Mood

reflective critical

Type

historical musical

When to use this quote

- music education
- cultural criticism
- songwriting

Key Concepts

European influence American adaptation

Questions to Reflect On

- What other traditions shape American music?
- How does this affect cultural pride?

A Different Perspective

The statement oversimplifies diverse influences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[American Cultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-cultural-513801/) [Classical music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classical-music/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Europe Classical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe-classical-1378532/) [European Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/european-music-511656/) [Jingoistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jingoistic-762183/) [Jingoistic Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jingoistic-person-1378533/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-is/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/)

## Related quotes

> [The moment you talk about 26/11, everything is jingoistic. Even a TV debate sounds jingoistic and that's because emotions on the incident run really deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/the-moment-you-talk-about-26-11-everything-is-jingoistic-even-a-tv/)

[Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/)

> ["Make America great again." You know, to a lot of people, well, that's jingoistic. That's nationalism. That's cheap, that's rank, that's not a movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/make-america-great-again-you-know-to-a-lot-of-people-well-that-s/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [I guess I am nostalgic for a time - the nineteenth century and early twentieth - when writers were, to use Stefan Collini's phrase,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-guess-i-am-nostalgic-for-a-time-the-nineteenth-century-and-early/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [We are a jingoistic nation - whether it is politics or films or whatever. We can posthumously shower praises and accolades on people, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/we-are-a-jingoistic-nation-whether-it-is-politics-or-films-or/)

[Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/)

> [What unites us is our culture. You just have to listen to European music, from north, south, east and west, to hear we're all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/what-unites-us-is-our-culture-you-just-have-to-listen-to-european/)

[Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/)

> [The European style of music is never really respected. There is no Grammy for European music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-savoretti/the-european-style-of-music-is-never-really-respected-there-is-no/)

[Jack Savoretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-savoretti/)

> [I hope it might help players have confidence in our own ways, and not to be afraid of them, as Bernstein showed - things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/i-hope-it-might-help-players-have-confidence-in-our-own-ways-and-not/)

[Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/)

> [Ever since I was 18 or 19, I've wanted to question the sound, tones, and scale associated with the piano as an instrument symbolic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/ever-since-i-was-18-or-19-i-ve-wanted-to-question-the-sound-tones-and/)

[Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/)

> [Governments can help support European music by promoting public awareness that when people take music that doesn't belong to them, they undermine the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-jarre/governments-can-help-support-european-music-by-promoting-public/)

[Jean-Michel Jarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-michel-jarre/)

> [I'm discovering so much about how invisible, othered and dismissed the Islamic world is, in terms of the massive effects it had on European…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/i-m-discovering-so-much-about-how-invisible-othered-and-dismissed-the/)

[Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/)

> [I was just going more for what I've always been influenced by, European music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kip-winger/i-was-just-going-more-for-what-i-ve-always-been-influenced-by/)

[Kip Winger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kip-winger/)

> [From reading a previous answer, you know that I consider all those aspects to be part of American cultural myth and thus they figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/from-reading-a-previous-answer-you-know-that-i-consider-all-those/)

[Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/)

> [American cultural institutions seem so bent on preserving the values of "Western civilization," the mythical "Whitetown," that welearn about one another's cultures the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/american-cultural-institutions-seem-so-bent-on-preserving-the-values/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first of all, has got to be put into the context of being an American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/i-think-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-first-of-all-has-got-to-be-put/)

[Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/)

> [I have made sense of my life by developing an ability to analyze Mainstream American Cultural Artifacts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/i-have-made-sense-of-my-life-by-developing-an-ability-to-analyze/)

[George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/)

## More by Sonny Rollins

> [I'm fortunate that I'm making a living at it now because I'm not equipped to do anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-fortunate-that-i-m-making-a-living-at-it-now-because-i-m-not/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [How ironic that the Negro, who more than any other people can claim America's culture as his own, is being persecuted and repressed; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/how-ironic-that-the-negro-who-more-than-any-other-people-can-claim/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [I'm now a legend, whether I want to be or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-m-now-a-legend-whether-i-want-to-be-or-not/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [I enjoy playing clubs. I still enjoy the closeness of the nightclub venue. However, after a certain period of time and after playing around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-enjoy-playing-clubs-i-still-enjoy-the-closeness-of-the-nightclub/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [Music represents nature. Nature represents life. Jazz represents nature. Jazz is life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/music-represents-nature-nature-represents-life-jazz-represents-nature/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/improvisation-is-the-ability-to-create-something-very-spiritual/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [...this is my dilemma. I'm a guy who makes things up as I go along, so nothing is ever finished - there are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/this-is-my-dilemma-i-m-a-guy-who-makes-things-up-as-i-go-along-so/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [Jazz is the type of music that can absorb so many things and still be jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/jazz-is-the-type-of-music-that-can-absorb-so-many-things-and-still-be/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [My mother came from St. Thomas. I heard that melody and all I did was actually adapt it. I made my adaptation of sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/my-mother-came-from-st-thomas-i-heard-that-melody-and-all-i-did-was/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [I feel that L.A. has not always been my strongest base for support. That can be for various reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-feel-that-l-a-has-not-always-been-my-strongest-base-for-support/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [You had many jazz musicians who lived in the United States, who had a hard time being accepted over here and had to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/you-had-many-jazz-musicians-who-lived-in-the-united-states-who-had-a/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [I miss playing with Miles. I did play with him a little while before he left the planet, but even at that time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-miss-playing-with-miles-i-did-play-with-him-a-little-while-before/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [Improvisation is really not so much remembering things. And this is what I do when I play. I forget things. When I go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/improvisation-is-really-not-so-much-remembering-things-and-this-is/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [I simply want to reach a level where I will never cease to make progress...so that, even on the bad evenings, I may never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/i-simply-want-to-reach-a-level-where-i-will-never-cease-to-make/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

> [It's all about creation and surprise. It just needs to be appreciated and watered like flowers. You have to water flowers. These peaks will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/it-s-all-about-creation-and-surprise-it-just-needs-to-be-appreciated/)

[Sonny Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

[Explore all 50 Sonny Rollins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/)

## More Classical music quotes

> [I'm very fond of classical music, especially Mozart. I find it relaxes me and helps me concentrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guler-sabanci/i-m-very-fond-of-classical-music-especially-mozart-i-find-it-relaxes/)

[Guler Sabanci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guler-sabanci/)

> [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/)

[Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/)

> [I listen to classical music very much. There's a lot of jazz that I don't enjoy listening to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-konitz/i-listen-to-classical-music-very-much-there-s-a-lot-of-jazz-that-i/)

[Lee Konitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-konitz/)

> [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/)

[Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/)

> [My roots are in classical music and jazz, and I want the freedom of being able to improvise. This freedom is possible only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adnan-sami/my-roots-are-in-classical-music-and-jazz-and-i-want-the-freedom-of/)

[Adnan Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adnan-sami/)

> [You know how some people seem to think that their love for classical music makes them spiritual or at least something quite special? And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-stout/you-know-how-some-people-seem-to-think-that-their-love-for-classical/)

[Ruth Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-stout/)

> [I have been exposed to different kinds of Marathi and Hindi music, classical music, and English songs since childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urmila-matondkar/i-have-been-exposed-to-different-kinds-of-marathi-and-hindi-music/)

[Urmila Matondkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urmila-matondkar/)

> [I love Adele and Lykke Li. I also listen to classical music as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/birdy/i-love-adele-and-lykke-li-i-also-listen-to-classical-music-as-well/)

[Birdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/birdy/)

> [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; &amp; the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Obviously there are pieces of classical music that are some of the most beautiful music ever written, for me anyway is a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dessner/obviously-there-are-pieces-of-classical-music-that-are-some-of-the/)

[Bryce Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dessner/)

> [I know this will blow your mind, but most people would probably never ever get it, but I listen to classical music when nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanilla-ice/i-know-this-will-blow-your-mind-but-most-people-would-probably-never/)

[Vanilla Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanilla-ice/)

> [“Finally, every society develops a system of aesthetic standards that get manifested in everything from decorative art, music, and dance to the architecture and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/finally-every-society-develops-a-system-of-aesthetic-standards-that/)

[David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/)

> [Kolkata is a musical city. What I like about people here is the lack of diplomacy. Some of the best Indian classical musicians belong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sukhwinder-singh/kolkata-is-a-musical-city-what-i-like-about-people-here-is-the-lack/)

[Sukhwinder Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sukhwinder-singh/)

> [I was able to turn to classical music many people, who saw my programs live and on YouTube, and this is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksey-igudesman/i-was-able-to-turn-to-classical-music-many-people-who-saw-my-programs/)

[Aleksey Igudesman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksey-igudesman/)

> [I know I’m an African-American, and I know I play the saxophone, but I’m not a jazz musician. I’m not a classical musician, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-braxton/i-know-i-m-an-african-american-and-i-know-i-play-the-saxophone-but-i/)

[Anthony Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-braxton/)

[Browse all 620 Classical music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classical-music/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European music.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sonny Rollins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-have-to-admit-that-even/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Classical music"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-have-to-admit-that-even/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e91/sonny-rollins-13594_classical-music_even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-ha_915814.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe…” — Sonny Rollins",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sonny Rollins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-rollins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Even the most jingoistic person would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-have-to-admit-that-even/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-rollins/even-the-most-jingoistic-person-would-have-to-admit-that-even/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
