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.
Louis ArmstrongRead
I was determined to play my horn against all odds, and I had to sacrifice a whole lot of pleasure to do so.
Interpretation
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.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students about following their dreams.
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.
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.
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.
My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.
I've Got the World on a String.
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
Publicity, discussion, and agitation are necessary to accomplish any work of lasting benefit.
We will stomp to the top with the wind in our teeth.
You do not have to persuade others to help you; all you need do is believe you are what you want to be and then let the world (which is nothing more than yourself pushed out) go to work to make your assumption possible.
For me, sitting still is harder than any kind of work.
The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don't just put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed. Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. This second we can turn the tables on Resistance. This second, we can sit down and do our work.
Just because I believed in what I was doing on the field and dedicated myself to playing the game, does that mean I'm cocky? Does that mean I'm arrogant?
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