John McLaughlin

“In my opinion, there is one singular problem with religions in general: they are exclusive. To me, this exclusivity is not right.”

“You can have the greatest player in terms of mastering an instrument and you could be yawning your head off when you hear them. So, it's not what you do, but the way you're doing it and in the end that's all that we have.”

“Interplay and interaction are the integral parts of music - they're as important as the notes.”

“I don't have any particular goals in making a recording. In a way the recording is itself the goal. The music comes into my mind, and from there the main job is to give form to it.”

“When I was five, I heard the end of Beethoven's 'Ninth Symphony' with my mother, and I got goosebumps all over my body.”

“Every day, I discover something utterly unbelievable when I play.”

“I have a profound affection for Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism's particular ways of meditating.”

“I don't have any message in the music. Music will be fine as long as you take care of yourself.”

“The moment you start to talk about playing music, you destroy music. It cannot be talked about. It can only be played, enjoyed and listened to.”

“My entire life is dedicated to music, and at my age, that makes a lot of years! But all the work and dedication is only that I'm able to forget myself and let the music do the 'talking.'”

“You realize as you get older that tomorrow is not guaranteed for anybody.”

“In my world, if you want to make a record to make money, you're already off to a bad start.”

“I discovered flamenco when I was 14, before I even got involved with jazz music. I was so crazy about flamenco music. I wanted to be a flamenco guitar player.”

“The Beatles, they brought a whole new dimension to pop music. Of course, the psychedelic period is much more interesting to me, starting with 'Rubber Soul' and on to the 'White Album.' Great, great records. I was such a Beatles fan. I was very sad when they broke up.”

“To pay attention to flattery or criticism is a waste of time for artists.”

“Frankly speaking, if I care what people write, whether it is positive or negative, I believe, personally, I'm on the wrong path.”

“I've been more or less vegetarian for about 40 years. Health diet really helps. I do meditation every day, and either yoga or sport several times a week.”

“I'm not the sort of chap who can sit down and write music. When it comes, I'm happy.”

“There are two kinds of success. One is musical or artistic and the other is commercial.”

“I already experimented with free jazz in the 1960s and, in my opinion, to play free jazz, you have to be a perfect musician and a perfect human being - and none of us are!”