Quincy Jones Quotes

It’s the attitude about life, man. Looking at the light instead of the dark. Looking at love instead of fear.

I improvised my life along the way – I just moved step-by-step. And I knew that if I got better, something would happen.

Not one ounce of my self worth depends on your acceptance of me.

Everybody has their idiosyncrasies.

All guys get into music because they love music and they also want to get the girls.

A song should have all the color and beauty of every rose.

Hell, nobody knows where jazz is going to go. There may be a kid right now in Chitlin Switch, Georgia, who is going to come along and upset everybody.

It’s easy to get next to music theory, especially between your peers and music classes and so forth. You just pay attention. I had a good ear, so I realized that printed music was just about reminding you what to play.

A bad song, the three best singers in the world cannot save it, and that’s the bottom line.

Communications are making this one world. Back in the day, 400-500 years ago, nobody knew what anyone else was doing. It’s on the 6 O’Clock news now. Now we can say, Oh, that’s the way they live. Oh, they do that!! Opportunities, the chance to bring about change, it’s all based on communication. Communication and jet planes.

Young people should travel, and they don’t. You can’t know if you don’t go.

Louis ‘Thunder Thumbs’ Johnson was one of the greatest bass players to ever pick up the instrument, as a member of the Brothers Johnson, we shared decades of magical times working together in the studio and touring the world. From my albums ‘Body Heat’ and ‘Mellow Madness,’ to their platinum albums ‘Look Out for #1,’ ‘Right On Time,’ ‘Blam’ and ‘Light Up the Night,’ which I produced, to Michael’s solo debut ‘Off the Wall,’ I considered Louis a core member of my production team. He was a dear and beloved friend and brother, and I will miss his presence and joy of life every day.