A man is a god in ruins.
Duke Ellington

A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
Duke Ellington

A problem is your chance to do your best.
Duke Ellington

Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions: when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it.
Duke Ellington

By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with.
Duke Ellington

Critics have their purposes, and they're supposed to do what they do, but sometimes they get a little carried away with what they think someone should have done, rather than concerning themselves with what they did.
Duke Ellington

Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be too famous too young.
Duke Ellington

Gray skies are just clouds passing over.
Duke Ellington

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.
Duke Ellington

It's like an act of murder; you play with intent to commit something.
Duke Ellington


Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.
Duke Ellington

My attitude is never to be satisfied, never enough, never.
Duke Ellington

Now I can say loudly and openly what I have been saying to myself on my knees.
Duke Ellington

On becoming more acquainted with the word of the Bible, I began to understand so much more of what I had been taught, and of what I had learned about life and about the people in mine.
Duke Ellington

People do not retire. They are retired by others.
Duke Ellington

Playing "bop" is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.
Duke Ellington

The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
Duke Ellington

There are two kinds of worries - those you can do something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time on the latter.
Duke Ellington

There is hardly any money interest in art, and music will be there when money is gone.
Duke Ellington

You've got to find some way of saying it without saying it.
Duke Ellington