Music is not the only reason that I practice Buddhism anymore because it has affected my whole life.
Creativity and artistic endeavors have a mission that goes far beyond just making music for the sake of music 
Like no matter what happens, this would be the ultimate, they can make something positive happen. 
All you have to do is play one note. But it needs to be the right note. 
Jazz has borrowed from other genres of music and also has lent itself to other genres of music. 
You can practice to learn a technique, but I'm more interested in conceiving of something in the moment. 
It's not the style that motivates me, as much as an attitude of openness that I have when I go into a project. 
I hope to use dialogue and culture as a means of bringing people of various cultures together, and using that as a way to resolve conflict. 
Being a musician is what I do, but it's not what I am. 
It's part of life to have obstacles. It's about overcoming obstacles; that's the key to happiness. 
The thing that we possess, that machines don't, is the ability to exhibit wisdom. 
Miles' sessions were not typical of anybody else's sessions. They were totally unique. 
I think risk-taking is a great adventure. And life should be full of adventures. 
Jazz has been the voice of freedom for so many countries over the past half century, 
It is people's hearts that move the age. 
I just express myself in any way I feel is appropriate at the moment. 
Getting the Oscar had the biggest impression on me. 
Hip-hop is all over the planet. 
I'm aware that a lot of what is happening in jazz has not had a very dynamic change in a long time. 
Music truly is the universal language. 
When you struggle to reach for something you don't know, that's where most of the interesting stuff is. 
Life is not about finding our limitations, it's about finding our infinity. 
In the past, there's always been one leader that has led the pack to development of the music. 
In the world of Art there are no wrong choices. 
Music happens to be an art form that transcends language 
You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life. 
You can expand, repeat, even change keys and do other things electronically to give certain elements and phrases more cohesiveness. 
We are eternally linked not just to each other but our environment. 
I think I was supposed to play jazz. 
At a certain point, I became a kind of musician that has tunnel vision about jazz. I only listened to jazz and classical music. 
I hope that I can make good music out of whatever genre I go into. Just to prove to myself that I can. 
Wisdom is the key to understanding the age, creating the time. 
One thing that attracted me to Buddhism was the support for this larger vision of values. 
The music becomes something that is its own entity. 
I started off with classical music, and I got into jazz when I was about 14 years old. And I've been playing jazz ever since. 
The value of music is not dazzling yourself and others with technique. 
I am not fundamentally a musician, I am fundamentally a human being. 
Forget about trying to compete with someone else. Create your own pathway. Create your own new vision. 
World peace is no longer some pie-in-the-sky thing, because no single person or country is going to solve it on their own. 
Jazz to me is the spirit of freedom. I mean real freedom. Freedom to explore. Freedom to express. Freedom to pour out your guts. 
I don't go around, the way many musicians do, with earbuds in my ear listening to my iPod all day and just sticking my head in the music all the time. 
Don't be afraid to expand yourself, to step out of your comfort zone. That's where the joy and the adventure lie. 
We can all be ourselves, be true to ourselves, and all be together. 
I'm always interested in looking forward toward the future. Carving out new ways of looking at things. 
I try stuff. I synthesize what's of value with some of the other things I have at my disposal. 
Take whatever happens and try to make it work. 
Oscar Peterson is the greatest living influence on jazz pianists today. 
The true artform is being a human being. 
See, there were certain rules I'd always used, and people like Trane, they would break those rules. 
I like the idea of an eclectic approach, incorporating jazz with other forms and other genres of music. 
Jazz is about being in the moment. 
You can change your character and, at the same time, change your fortune. 
I feel a lot more secure about the directions I take, than I might have, had I not practiced Buddhism. 
I like to present something that the people haven't seen or haven't heard before. Otherwise they might as well just stay home and play the record. 
It's part of my nature. I get excited when trying out new stuff, whether it be an idea or equipment. It stimulates my juices. 
When I was coming up, I practiced all the time because I thought if I didn't I couldn't do my best. 
You can practice to attain knowledge, but you can't practice to attain wisdom. 
You don't need the fame to be vital. 
The first thing I ever heard about synthesizers, they were being used in rock. 
So in other words, we were constantly challenged to grow, and thats what a master does. 
I think there's a great beauty to having problems. That's one of the ways we learn 
Without wisdom, the future has no meaning, no valuable purpose. 
While knowledge may provide useful point of reference, it cannot become a force to guide the future. 