Herbie Hancock Quotes

It pulled me like a magnet, jazz did, because it was a way that I could express myself.
Herbie Hancock

It's not exclusive, but inclusive, which is the whole spirit of jazz.
Herbie Hancock

It's not the style that motivates me, as much as an attitude of openness that I have when I go into a project.
Herbie Hancock

Jazz has borrowed from other genres of music and also has lent itself to other genres of music.
Herbie Hancock

Jazz is about being in the moment.
Herbie Hancock

Like no matter what happens, this would be the ultimate, they can make something positive happen.
Herbie Hancock

Miles' sessions were not typical of anybody else's sessions. They were totally unique.
Herbie Hancock

Music happens to be an art form that transcends language.
Herbie Hancock

Music is the tool to express life - and all that makes a difference.
Herbie Hancock

Nobody told me I was a child prodigy.
Herbie Hancock

One of the greatest attributes of jazz, I think, is that it is that open.
Herbie Hancock

One thing I like about jazz is that it emphasized doing things differently from what other people were doing.
Herbie Hancock

One thing that attracted me to Buddhism was the support for this larger vision of values.
Herbie Hancock

People are afraid to spend money now because they don't know how long they're going to be working.
Herbie Hancock

Pieces don't have to have the same tempo from beginning to end.
Herbie Hancock

See, there were certain rules I'd always used, and people like Trane, they would break those rules.
Herbie Hancock

Since time is a continuum, the moment is always different, so the music is always different.
Herbie Hancock

So I didn't actually change my name the way some people did.
Herbie Hancock

So I'm out of the box - and understanding that has opened up my interests in the rest of the world.
Herbie Hancock

So in other words, we were constantly challenged to grow, and that's what a master does.
Herbie Hancock

Technology has developed to a whole other level and there's the scientist part of me that loves that stuff.
Herbie Hancock

The first thing I ever heard about synthesizers, they were being used in rock.
Herbie Hancock

The mixture of all kinds of things, all kinds of beings - it's just like what we have here in this country.
Herbie Hancock

The music becomes something that is its own entity.
Herbie Hancock

The spirit of jazz is the spirit of openness.
Herbie Hancock

The thing that we possess, that machines don't, is the ability to exhibit wisdom.
Herbie Hancock

The value of music is not dazzling yourself and others with technique.
Herbie Hancock

The value of music is to be able to play one note at the right time in the right way.
Herbie Hancock

Then I would watch him improvise, and I would be fascinated by what he was doing.
Herbie Hancock

There are a lot of records coming out, in every field of music, not just jazz.
Herbie Hancock

There's only one person named Herbie Hancock.
Herbie Hancock

We are eternally linked not just to each other but our environment.
Herbie Hancock

We can all be ourselves, be true to ourselves, and all be together.
Herbie Hancock

We decided it would be interesting to approach the music as a group solo.
Herbie Hancock

We wanted to share creativity and didn't want to be bound by traditional jazz conventions.
Herbie Hancock

When I was coming up, I practiced all the time because I thought if I didn't I couldn't do my best.
Herbie Hancock

When I was in my early teens, I remember coming to the conclusion that your life never ends.
Herbie Hancock

When I was young I used to listen to everything.
Herbie Hancock

When you struggle to reach for something you don't know, that's where the most interesting stuff is.
Herbie Hancock

While knowledge may provide useful point of reference, it cannot become a force to guide the future.
Herbie Hancock

Wisdom corresponds to the future; it is philosophy.
Herbie Hancock

Wisdom is the key to understanding the age, creating the time.
Herbie Hancock

Without wisdom, the future has no meaning, no valuable purpose.
Herbie Hancock

You asked me before about being an innovator and I mentioned that I've always been some kind of leader.
Herbie Hancock

You can practice to attain knowledge, but you can't practice to attain wisdom.
Herbie Hancock

You can practice to learn a technique, but I'm more interested in conceiving of something in the moment.
Herbie Hancock

You don't know what that's going to sound like; you just do it because the urge is there.
Herbie Hancock

You don't need the fame to be vital.
Herbie Hancock

You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life.
Herbie Hancock

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