When Byrd came out of there, he had written a lot things while he was in the hospital.

As a matter of fact they'd blacken us down. I guess there's a reason that according to what the Caucasian wanted us to look like. He wanted us to look-if we were Black, then he had his idea of what we look like.

I knew exactly what I was, and there was no hang-up with me. None whatsoever. The fact that the pigment of my skin maybe being lighter brown than other people of my race, maybe some of them, but you know our race has all colors.

It was my band. I organized the band and Dizzy was in the band. Dizzy was the first musical director with the band. Charlie Parker was in the band. But, no, no, that was my band.

When Byrd came out of there, he had written a lot things while he was in the hospital.

It taught me something. It taught you your craft.

I just went to Harvard a little while, because I graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington and then I went up there but I didn't stay that long because I went into show business.

If you want to be a doctor, a lawyer you must go to college. But if you want to be a musician or such, study your craft. Study music.

You know, times change and the elements change along with it. The elements of success. And my son's very successful. He's doing very well. And I have a younger daughter who sings.

Bud Johnson, God rest his soul of fame, a tenor saxophonist. Bud was always a big, big, big booster of mine and he always when I first met Bud in Pittsburgh when he came through there, he heard me sing and he wanted me to come to Chicago.

I'm used to hearing myself. My own voice.

When you're playing music, say for instance, you're playing a part of the band and you're looking at your music, your horn is down into the stand. This way, it's up and it goes right on out to the audience, you know?

I don't have perfect pitch, but I have relative pitch. I'm glad I don't have perfect pitch because perfect pitch can drive you crazy.

I think a song that's got something to say. I'm not much on gimmicks. I never have been because they don't last. But I like a song that tells a story and has some meat to it, you know, that means something.

Piano should be the one. Yeah, because that's your basis. Everything is right there in front of you.

Oh, yeah. I know Dizzy. For years he's been my buddy way, way, way back. Dizzy is one of the most astute guys and one of the most learned guys in the world and knows exactly what he's doing musically.

L.A. is kind of laid back, but New York, everybody is out there for that buck, you know.

My youngest daughter sings. She's going to be very good. She's graduated from Music School and she's been working down around and getting her feet wet, you know. I had her out with me for a year just showing her the ropes a little bit, but she's going to be all right.

I was still in school at the time and Cab was very popular and everybody was doing Cab Calloway so I did.

I'm a firm believer and I think my religion is inside.

You can't sing about love unless you know about it.

I was so enamored with the idea of being in show business so everything was bright to me. I mean, I didn't think of it as being tough and things like that.

Today the kids that are out now they make a hit record and they put them right out on the stage with 10,000 people out there and they don't know anything about the business yet.

Taking a pay cut won't demotivate me, not at all. It's not about money in the first place. It's about the job.

Everything in life, bad or good, makes you change and grow - happily, because if it didn't, we'd be machines.

The oppressed peoples can liberate themselves only through struggle. This is a simple and clear truth confirmed by history.

I've always liked women more. I was brought up by my mother and older sister. I found my way into dance class.

Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine.

The moment I started treating my social anxiety disorder, I started feeling better.

Barack Obama is the most famous living person in the history of the world.

I am a hybrid. I do independent films and also do Hollywood films - I love them both.

When you see me on TV, that's about as close to my real personality as you can get. There are a certain amount of folks who admire me, there are a certain amount of folks who don't, and I'm not going to try and change their mind. Nothing I can do will change their mind anyway, because they already have a good gauge of who I am as a person.

I will raise a book to Brian Thomsen.

I like the gypsy aspect of this business.

My business is the enforcement of the tax laws and the integrity of the tax code and making sure that trustees of charitable giving are true trustees.

I try to pride myself in having really quick feet and being able to set up and throw balls in time.

A morning without coffee is like sleep.

I believe that global warming is a myth. And so, therefore, I have no conscience problems at all and I'm going to buy a Suburban next time.

I play basketball to win a championship. That championship is everything to me. And that's what gets people to buy in to your brand - being a winner.

Elegance is usually confused with superficiality, fashion, lack of depth. This is a serious mistake: human beings need to have elegance in their actions and in their posture because this word is synonymous with good taste, amiability, equilibrium and harmony.

I am so girly. I love dresses.

When I was a kid, I wasn't looking at the small-budget films myself. I was looking at 'James Bond' and all the major films, so I still have that energy. I still love those films.

So interviews are a valuable tool, but under certain circumstances they'd be more valuable than others.

'Everwood' I think provides a unique feeling, an emotional experience. And other shows on TV don't have the acting talent to do that. Each one of our actors can do a serious scene and a humorous scene, and can do it all within the same sequence. They can go from a heartbreaking moment to a humorous moment.

With 'House of Cards,' you really get the heart and the meat of drama - and it's a thriller!

Money is the best rule of commerce.

With respect to Iraq, I did favour the continuity of American forces to work with the new Maliki government. They had enormous needs for intelligence, for training on everything from airplanes to more sophisticated ground equipment and the like.