--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I use are provisional terms, and they…" description: "\"I use are provisional terms, and they usually put any proper nouns in critical distance. I'm in a tradition of people who resist naming, fixity. That m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/vijay-iyer-15503_distance_i-use-are-provisional-terms-and-they-usu_142718.jpg" --- # I use are provisional terms, and they usually put any… ![“I use are provisional terms, and they usually put any proper nouns in critical distance. I'm in a tradition of people who resist naming, fixity. That means it's a tradition of people who insist on mobility, who defy proper nouns and genres and those kinds of things. When I push back against the…” quote by Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/vijay-iyer-15503_distance_i-use-are-provisional-terms-and-they-usu_142718.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/vijay-iyer-15503_distance_i-use-are-provisional-terms-and-they-usu_142718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/vijay-iyer-15503_distance_i-use-are-provisional-terms-and-they-usu_142718.jpg) > “I use are provisional terms, and they usually put any proper nouns in critical distance. I'm in a tradition of people who resist naming, fixity. That means it's a tradition of people who insist on mobility, who defy proper nouns and genres and those kinds of things. When I push back against the word 'jazz' it's because I've learned that from many, many elders who think that way. I'm not just being a jerk.” [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He avoids fixed labels, using provisional terms to keep ideas fluid and resist categorization. **In simple terms:** He uses flexible language to stay open and mobile. Key Takeaway Stay flexible, resist rigid labeling. Themes language genre fluidity mobility tradition resistance Mood introspective innovative Type musical philosophical When to use this quote - creative collaboration - educational workshops - genre‑blending projects - public speaking Key Concepts post‑structuralism musical improvisation cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - Why do you resist naming? - How does fluidity affect your work? A Different Perspective Flexibility may dilute clear communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [I actually have a thing about proper nouns. They clang on my ear in a weird way when I hear them dropped into movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-radnor/i-actually-have-a-thing-about-proper-nouns-they-clang-on-my-ear-in-a/) [Josh Radnor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-radnor/) > [What action could bodies and substances have if they were not named in a further increase of dignity where common nouns become proper nouns?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/what-action-could-bodies-and-substances-have-if-they-were-not-named/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [I think everybody has to kind of decide what the word 'jazz' means to them, and that's fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-g/i-think-everybody-has-to-kind-of-decide-what-the-word-jazz-means-to/) [Kenny G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-g/) > ["Jazz" to begin with, is a really bad word... all the true musicians that really play jazz, jazz is the worst word for it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldar-djangirov/jazz-to-begin-with-is-a-really-bad-word-all-the-true-musicians-that/) [Eldar Djangirov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eldar-djangirov/) > [I don't play the traditional Charlie Parker songs. But I do improvise and I do create with my instrument, and that to me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-g/i-don-t-play-the-traditional-charlie-parker-songs-but-i-do-improvise/) [Kenny G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-g/) > [The main thing about the word jazz, is that it's very limiting to what people are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eldar-djangirov/the-main-thing-about-the-word-jazz-is-that-it-s-very-limiting-to-what/) [Eldar Djangirov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eldar-djangirov/) > [ The word \[jazz\] never lost its association with those New Orleans bordellos. In the 1920s I used to try to convince Fletcher Henderson that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-ellington/the-word-jazz-never-lost-its-association-with-those-new-orleans/) [Duke Ellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-ellington/) > [Jazz is a fighter. The word 'jazz' means to me, 'I dare you. Let's jump into the unknown!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-shorter/jazz-is-a-fighter-the-word-jazz-means-to-me-i-dare-you-let-s-jump/) [Wayne Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-shorter/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [If you're working on better conditions for prisoners, if you make that a popular issue and you invite mainstream media to weigh in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/if-you-re-working-on-better-conditions-for-prisoners-if-you-make-that/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [It's hard to know exactly how people develop the characters they do. There could be people from humble beginnings that turn into jerks. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-people-develop-the-characters-they-do/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [The word relationship best refers to the connection between parasite and host, or shark and remora. It's a biological term. I'd rather be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-shoales/the-word-relationship-best-refers-to-the-connection-between-parasite/) [Ian Shoales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-shoales/) > [Guys are like roller-coasters¦everytime you recover from the last one theres another JERK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/guys-are-like-roller-coasters-everytime-you-recover-from-the-last-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A jerk will keep hurting you then apologize to keep you from leaving them, and then do it all over again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/a-jerk-will-keep-hurting-you-then-apologize-to-keep-you-from-leaving/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“Even to be impaled by a happy fate makes you jerk against the knowledge of inevitability, of final commitment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-reid-banks/even-to-be-impaled-by-a-happy-fate-makes-you-jerk-against-the/) [Lynne Reid Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-reid-banks/) ## More by Vijay Iyer > [What I find the challenge is with working with, say, digital machines - performing electronic music - is that when we play instruments there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/what-i-find-the-challenge-is-with-working-with-say-digital-machines/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [It is one thing to be a virtuoso, but a different thing to play with compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/it-is-one-thing-to-be-a-virtuoso-but-a-different-thing-to-play-with/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [This is the last sentence of my dissertation: "What is soul in music if not powerfully embodied human presence?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/this-is-the-last-sentence-of-my-dissertation-what-is-soul-in-music-if/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [I find myself skeptical of music that forces you to have a certain experience, emotional reaction, or specific constructive arc of experience. But performers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/i-find-myself-skeptical-of-music-that-forces-you-to-have-a-certain/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [In the 1990s I got to play in a group that played in prisons in California. We would play in maximum security wards. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/in-the-1990s-i-got-to-play-in-a-group-that-played-in-prisons-in/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [I want to make sure that I represent a variety of backgrounds and that represents the reality out here in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/i-want-to-make-sure-that-i-represent-a-variety-of-backgrounds-and/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [I've realized that a lot of people come to me because of what's called identity. In the sense of "he's like me" - more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/i-ve-realized-that-a-lot-of-people-come-to-me-because-of-what-s/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [Beyond that, it gets down to the nuts and bolts of discipline - not a tradition or genre, I don't care about that, actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/beyond-that-it-gets-down-to-the-nuts-and-bolts-of-discipline-not-a/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [Music is made of what we do when we move, and we can only move in certain ways, in certain ranges of tempo because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/music-is-made-of-what-we-do-when-we-move-and-we-can-only-move-in/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [The sense of having to be the best at everything gets in the way of anybody doing anything. I put all that aside; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/the-sense-of-having-to-be-the-best-at-everything-gets-in-the-way-of/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [I like the idea of the objecthood of music being destabilized by process and things like improvisation. That's what empowers us; that's how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/i-like-the-idea-of-the-objecthood-of-music-being-destabilized-by/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [I think what music can offer is the feeling of forward motion, also the feeling of accumulation of information, of sensations, of feelings, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/i-think-what-music-can-offer-is-the-feeling-of-forward-motion-also/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [A successful relationship is not about two people staring into each other's eyes, it's about two people looking ahead together. I think in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/a-successful-relationship-is-not-about-two-people-staring-into-each/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [Resonance is a physical process through which similarities are highlighted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/resonance-is-a-physical-process-through-which-similarities-are/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [We think of music as this substance that flows - you turn on the tap, and there it is, streaming off your computer -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/we-think-of-music-as-this-substance-that-flows-you-turn-on-the-tap/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) [Explore all 43 Vijay Iyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) ## More Distance quotes > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/) Toshihiko Seko > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/) [Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I use are provisional terms, and they usually put any proper nouns in critical distance. I'm in a tradition of people who resist naming, fixity. That means it's a tradition of people who insist on mobility, who defy proper nouns and genres and those kinds of things. When I push back against the word 'jazz' it's because I've learned that from many, many elders who think that way. 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