You don't have to worry about being a number one, number two, or number three. Numbers don't have anything to do with placement. Numbers only have something to do with repetition.
Ornette ColemanRead
We in the Western world suffer from too many categories and classes; we've forgotten that we all still have diapers on. We've separated music from life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the separation of art and life in Western culture, reminding us of our shared humanity.
Ornette Coleman suggests that in the Western world, people have become overly concerned with classifying and categorizing aspects of life, including music, which in turn leads us to forget our fundamental similarities and the simplicity of our shared experiences. He implies that by creating divisions, we overlook the intrinsic connections between art and life, and the universal experiences that bind us together as human beings.
Themes
CategoriesMusicLifeHumanityArtSeparation
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the value of art in society, this quote could serve as a reminder of our collective human experience.
More from Ornette Coleman
All quotes βYou've got to realize. In the western world, regardless of what color you are, what title the music is, it's all played by the same notes.
Ornette ColemanRead
So, for instance, if you came to me, I'd ask, 'Do you want to write? Do you want to improvise? Why do you want to play this instrument? What do you want to do?'
Ornette ColemanRead
That's what I was trying to say when we were talking about sound. I think that every person, whether they play music or don't play music, has a sound - their own sound, that thing that you're talking about.
Ornette ColemanRead
It's just someone has labelled us as having a different label to do what you do. I find that labels are the worst thing in the world for artistic expression.
Ornette ColemanRead
I decided, if I'm going to be poor and black and all, the least thing I'm going to do is to try and find out who I am. I created everything about me.
Ornette ColemanRead
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