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I was determined to play my horn against all odds, and I had to sacrifice a whole lot of pleasure to do so.
Louis Armstrong
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of persistence and sacrifice in pursuing one's passions despite challenges.

Louis Armstrong reflects on his unwavering determination to pursue music, particularly playing his horn, even when faced with numerous obstacles. His journey required significant sacrifices, pointing to the notion that achieving one's dreams often involves hard work and giving up certain pleasures along the way.

Themes

DeterminationSacrificeMusicPassionObstacles

In practice

Example use cases

In a graduation speech to inspire students about following their dreams.

More from Louis Armstrong

The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago.
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Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is.
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Very few of the men whose names have become great in the early pioneering of jazz and of swing were trained in music at all. They were born musicians: they felt their music and played by ear and memory. That was the way it was with the great Dixieland Five.
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My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.
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I've Got the World on a String.
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It's America's classical music ... this becomes our tradition ... the bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? ... we contributed Louis Armstrong
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